Medicare Competitive Bidding Exemption
Call To Action

We are urging people to contact their local representatives and urge them to sign on to H.R. 6331. Please contact the two senators for your state and the congressman for your local district. The following information is provided as a tool to help make this as convenient as possible for you.

Please contact the two senators for your state and the congressman for your local district. The following information is provided as a tool to help make this as convenient as possible for you. 

To Reach Out by Phone:

  1. Go to www.congress.org
  2. On the top left of the screen "My Elected Officials," enter your zip code.
  3. The next screen will list your state representatives for your local area (as determined by your zip code).
  4. Click on the names of each of the individuals you are contacting (2 Senators and 1 Representative).
  5. Contact information for those individuals will appear. You may call either their local office or their D.C. office.

When contacting your elected officials by phone, the following are sample scripts that may be used during your calls:

Script for Phone Calls to Member of the House of Representatives or to Senators:

“Hello, this is _________I am calling from ... (Your City) and would like to speak with the Congressperson’s Health staff person.
(Note: If the health staffer is not available, you may speak with any staffer available. If no one is available, please ask to leave a voicemail message for the health staff person.)

I am calling to urge you to support the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, H.R. 6331…
(Note: Please share something about yourself and why this issue is important to you.)

Current Medicare policy includes the implementation of a competitive bidding process that will limit patient vendor selection to one or two pre-selected equipment vendors. This will drastically reduce customer service of vendors as well as tailorization of equipment to an individual’s needs by promoting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ concept of care. We are asking that the implementation of this program be delayed, ensuring that people with physical needs that are best accommodated through customized mobility equipment retain access to specialized complex mobility equipment and knowledgeable providers.
(You may want to share an example of how you/your loved ones benefit from customized mobility equipment, rather than a standard "off the shelf" power wheelchair.)

Can I count on the Congressman/woman’s support?
(Note: Most likely, the person you are speaking to will not be able to commit to supporting the bill but they can commit to learning more about it and speaking with the Congressperson about the issue.)

Thank you for your time.”

 

To Reach Out By E-mail

  1. Go to www.congress.org
  2. On the top left of the screen "My Elected Officials," enter your zip code.
  3. On the next screen, under "Write Your Elected Officials," click on “Federal.”
  4. On the next screen, you will next be asked to provide your full home address.
  5. The next screen will provide you with all of the prompts you need to compose a quick note to the intended officials.
  6. Simply complete the form and press send - the e-mails will automatically be delivered for you.

E-mail Content

You may adapt the scripts above for creating your e-mail message or compose an original message.