Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 or the PADME Act
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a bid ceiling for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) under Medicare's competitive acquisition program, through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule. Specifically, the bid ceiling for such an item shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined.
Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for areas outside of such programs. The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors:
In addition, CMS shall delay by 15 months the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment.
On a monthly basis, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment.
| Action Date | Type | Text | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-07-06 | IntroReferral | Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. | Senate |
| 2016-07-05 | Floor | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. | House floor actions |
| 2016-07-05 | Floor | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4230-4232) | House floor actions |
| 2016-07-05 | Floor | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5210. | House floor actions |
| 2016-07-05 | Floor | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4230-4235) | House floor actions |
| 2016-07-05 | Floor | Mr. Pitts moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. | House floor actions |
| 2016-05-17 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. | House committee actions |
| 2016-05-13 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. | House committee actions |
| 2016-05-12 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2016-05-12 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2016-05-12 | IntroReferral | Introduced in House | Library of Congress |