I want to update you on the AARC's efforts to pass legislation in Congress
that would give homebound Medicare patients requiring respiratory therapy
access to this care from respiratory therapists.
A House bill (HR 2905) was introduced in July 2003 by Rep. Rick Renzi (R)
of Arizona. HR 2905 was assigned to the House Ways & Means Committee
as well as the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Through a letter-
writing/e-mail campaign, the efforts of AARC's Political Advocacy Contact
Team (PACT), and our lobbying, HR 2905 now has 37 co-sponsors in the
House.
AARC was very pleased this past July when a Senate companion bill (S 2707) was introduced by Senator
Trent Lott (R) of Mississippi. S 2707 was assigned to the Senate Finance Committee of which Senator
Lott is a member. The introduction of the S 2707 was due to the grassroots support for this issue from
Senator Lott's constituents in Mississippi. Although recently introduced, we've learned that Senator Tom
Daschle (D) of South Dakota (another member of the Finance Committee) has agreed to co-sponsor S
2707.
Although neither HR 2905 nor S 2707 is expected to pass this year with less than a month left in this
congressional session, our efforts continue in preparation for action on it when a new session of
Congress begins in 2005.
Recently, the AARC met with staff from Senator Blanche Lincoln's office to discuss the concerns of the
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) with this legislative effort. The language in HR 2905/S
2707 references home respiratory therapy provided as part of a care plan by a nurse or a physical
therapist (PT) and that a respiratory therapist (RT) may go in place of a nurse or PT to deliver
respiratory therapy services within the RT's scope of practice. The language in this legislation derives
from Medicare regulations regarding home respiratory therapy and is designed to be budget neutral.
APTA staff originally took a neutral stance on this issue since the legislation does not mandate the use of
RTs. One year later, they expressed concerns with linking RT or any profession to PT in legislative
language. Their concerns stem from difficulties they've experienced with legislative language grouping
PT and speech therapy under the same $1,500 therapy cap – an issue entirely separate from this issue.
APTA staff plan to review this legislation with their members involved in home health care and report
back to Senator Lincoln's staff later this month.
The AARC appreciates the support for this effort from the patient
community and we ask you to encourage your members to continue to send
e-mail/letters in support of HR 2905 and S 2707. An easy way for them to
do this is to use AARC's Capitol Connection on our web site at www.aarc.
org. E-mails from this web service do not bear AARC's name, but are sent
directly from the writer to their Senators and member in the House of
Representatives. The more support we gain for this issue now, the easier it
will be to urge congressional action on it when a Medicare bill is considered
next session.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can provide you with additional information or
assistance.
Jill A. Eicher
Director of Government Affairs
American Association for Respiratory Care
1100 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-548-8538 (Tel.)
703-548-8499 (Fax.)
eicher@aarc.org
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