With Limited Time Remaining in 118th Congress, CQRC Calls for Congress to Restore Patient Access to All Supplemental Oxygen Modalities

Washington, DC, September 09, 2024 --(PR.com)-- The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC), a coalition representing the nation’s leading home respiratory care and supplemental oxygen providers and manufacturing companies, commends growing support for the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act (S. 3821/H.R. 7829), bipartisan legislation to address the loss of patient access to supplemental liquid oxygen and stabilize access for all Medicare beneficiaries who rely upon other modalities of supplemental oxygen. For those who require it, supplemental oxygen, or oxygen therapy, is a medical treatment that allows patients living with respiratory, pulmonary, or other diseases or conditions to remain active in their communities and out of the hospital.

“With very little time left for the 118th Congress to legislate and pass bills, I strongly urge lawmakers to consider the critical importance of the SOAR Act provisions and the difference these policies can make in the lives of Americans who need the assistance of medical oxygen,” said Jeff Barnhard, Chair of the Council for Quality Respiratory Care.

The bipartisan legislation – originally introduced by Senators Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representatives David Valadao (R-CA), Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), Adrian Smith (R-NE), and Julia Brownley (D-CA) – has swiftly gained momentum on Capitol Hill, offering hope to patients grappling with severe respiratory and pulmonary conditions.

If enacted, the SOAR Act will help improve patient access to supplemental oxygen by making the following reforms:

- Remove supplemental oxygen from Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program for durable medical equipment,
- Ensure access to liquid oxygen for patients for whom it is medically necessary by establishing a separate payment system for liquid oxygen,
- Permanently extend Medicare’s blended reimbursement rates,
- Acknowledge and reimburse for essential respiratory therapy services, and
- Require the use of a clinical template to eliminate the use of medical record notes to support patient access to supplemental oxygen.

“We thank all Senate and House lawmakers who have cosponsored the SOAR Act and urge Congress to pass these measures for the nearly 1 million oxygen patients we deliver care to each year,” expressed Barnhard. “We are optimistic that Congress will advance the SOAR Act through the appropriate committees and incorporate its vital reforms into policy before the year’s end to ensure improved access to care for patients who need help breathing.”

The CQRC, in collaboration with a diverse coalition of more than 30 oxygen stakeholders, including the American Lung Association (ALA), COPD Foundation, American Thoracic Society, American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the American College of CHEST Physicians, and Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, continues to champion the passage of this vital legislation. Together, they are working to secure additional Senate and House cosponsors and passage into law before the end of the year.

The CQRC specifically thanks new SOAR Act co-sponsors including Sens. Marsha Blackburn [R-TN] and Gary Peters [D-MI], and Reps. Julia Brownley [D-CA-26], Donald G. Davis [D-NC-1], Cliff Bentz [R-OR-2], Darren Soto [D-FL- 9], Jahana Hayes [D-CT-5], Zoe Lofgren [D-CA-18], Rashida Tlaib [D-MI-12], Deborah K. Ross [D-NC-2], David J. Trone [D-MD-6], Alma S. Adams [D-NC-12], Eleanor Holmes Norton [D-DC-At Large], Marie Gluesenkamp Perez [D-WA-3], Dean Phillips [D-MN-3], Lori Chavez-DeRemer [R-OR-5], Chrissy Houlahan [D-PA-6], Bill Posey [R-FL-8], Michael Lawler [R-NY-17], and Juan Ciscomani [R-AZ-6].

To read more on the Pillars for Oxygen Reform, click here.