Letter from the Editor

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

• By Janis Rizzuto
• May 01, 2010

On Sunday, March 21, I spent hours watching the speeches and eventual votes by the U.S. House of Representatives on health care reform. At that point, all any constituent could do was observe the theatre of it all. Regardless of whether you were in favor of or opposed to reform, there was a sense that passage was inevitable. All of the political pundits had predicted it coming into the day. And by the waning hours of that Sunday, their prognostications were correct.

In the weeks following that historic vote, action — not observation — has accelerated as our country grapples with the magnitude of the change. The debates that had been strenuous leading up to the vote seem amplified in its aftermath. Even more people feel compelled to speak out. Celebratory Democrats defend the reform package while livid Tea Party groups decry it. Lawsuits by state governments are forthcoming. There’s a sense now that reform is very far from complete.

Action is being asked of you, too. In a joint statement, six industry organizations urged trade magazines like the one in your hands to write articles to get readers moving as vocal industry advocates. The damaging policy changes to home medical equipment in the reform package are more than sufficient motivation. See the news story on Page 8 to review the list that will raise your hackles, especially the provision to expand competitive bidding more quickly. The groups say that adding co-sponsors to H.R. 3790, the bill to quash competitive bidding, is critical. At press time, progress had been made with the co-sponsor count at 185, but more must be done to make the legislation a reality. The Accredited Medical Equipment Providers of America, American Association for Homecare, Committee to Save Independent Home Medical Equipment Suppliers, The MED Group, National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers and VGM Group are counting on you to respond.

Speaking out is something I know the industry can do. In the cover story this month, we asked respiratory therapists in an exclusive survey to talk about their jobs. The respondents were anything but shy, venting frustration and taking regulators and insurers to task for making their life’s work of caring for patients more difficult. Read the survey results for the interesting details about the impact of therapists in the respiratory and sleep market. On Page 18, patients get into the action in case studies that reflect their opinions about the importance of home care.

I can’t put it in plainer terms. Quite simply, the future of your business is on the line. So unless you feel like enduring a forced career change, act now. Access the lobbying resource materials at www.aahomecare.org or www.dmehelp.org and then get busy with calls, letters and e-mails to your elected officials.

This article originally appeared in the Respiratory & Sleep Management May 2010 issue of HME Business.