New Oxygen Supplier Rules A Source Of Worry


More than one million people depend on Medicare to pay for home oxygen therapy. New, complex rules that aim to reduce costs are confusingĀ  these people. According to WSJ, the new rules underline how complicated and difficult it will be to control the costs of Medicare. The new rules began to affect patients on Jan 1. Under these rules the suppliers will be paid the current rate for the first 3 years. After this, suppliers will have to provide oxygen for 2 more years at a reduced payment rate.

After these 5 years Medicare patients are entitled to new equipment and the higher rate of payment to suppliers will be resumed. Some suppliers are not too keen on accepting new patients. As a result patients who want to find a new source for the oxygen are also facing problems.

These changes are part of efforts by Congress as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS to reduce waste and fraud. The savings are expected to be to the tune of $200 million in the fiscal year beginning in October.


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