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                 Medicare to Use Competitive Bidding - Click Here to Help Stop!

Your Equipment Must Be Provided by the Lowest Bidder Supplier!

Al though Congress has passed the health care reform Medicare is proceeding forward with its Competitive Bidding Program.

As a result of previous legislation Congress has instructed Medicare to conduct a competitive bidding process that will require Medicare beneficiaries to get much of their home medical equipment from a bid winner.  This will include scooters and wheelchairs, both manual and power, except for very high end wheelchairs for persons requiring power tilt or recline.

This means if you are on Medicare you can ONLY obtain your mobility equipment from a bid winner! 

The process will be done in rounds.  Round One has begun and involves the Orlando and surrounding counties including Lake County.  So, if you live in Lake County and use Medicare you will soon be REQUIRED to obtain your scooter and wheelchair from a bid winner.    AVM has chosen NOT to participate in bidding for Round One and therefore, AVM will NOT be able to provide or service mobility equipment to you and bill Medicare.

AVM decided not to participate in the bidding for the Orlando area.   If a company wins a bid, Medicare requires the company to provide services to the entire bid area.  The Orlando area included not just Orange County but all the surrounding counties.  AVM did not feel that it could provide quality service to such a large area from our one location in Ocala.  We regret the problems this decision may cause our current customers in Lake County but Medicare did not allow us to bid and not agree to cover the entire area.

Marion County is in Round Two!  Medicare has not set a date for requesting bids for Round Two.  AVM will decide at that time whether to participate in the bidding process.

This is Medicare's second attempt at Round One.  The first Round One resulted in so many problems, Congress ordered Medicare to fix the problems and to redo Round One.    Unfortunately, Medicare did not fix many of the problems and the result is basically just a redo of Round One with many of the same problems.  Many of the requirements for businesses to win a bid make it difficult, if not impossible, for small business to secure a winning bid.  Therefore, most of the bid winners will most likely be big, national companies.  These companies are not known for quality service.

So, if you want to be able to chose your Medical Equipment supplier, please contact your representatives and senators and request that they support legislation to STOP COMPETITIVE BIDDING.  For an easy link contact click here.

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