Washington,
DC,
April
11,
2025
–(PR.com)– The
Council
for
Quality
Respiratory
Care
(CQRC)
–
a
coalition
of
the
nation’s
leading
home
respiratory
therapy
providers
and
manufacturing
companies
–
today
applauds
the
reintroduction
of
the
bipartisan
Supplemental
Oxygen
Access
Reform
(SOAR)
Act
(H.R.
2902)
in
the
119th
Congress.
The
bipartisan
bill
was
introduced
in
the
U.S.
Senate
by
Senators
Bill
Cassidy
(R-LA),
Mark
Warner
(D-VA),
and
Amy
Klobuchar
(D-MN)
and
in
the
U.S.
House
by
Representatives
David
Valadao
(R-CA),
Julia
Brownley
(D-CA),
Adrian
Smith
(R-NE),
and
Gabe
Evans
(R-CO).
For
millions
of
Americans
living
with
respiratory
and
pulmonary
diseases,
supplemental
oxygen
is
a
lifeline.
The
SOAR
Act
would
help
streamline
respiratory
patients’
access
to
care
and
improve
the
availability
and
delivery
of
supplemental
oxygen
to
Medicare
beneficiaries
in
three
major
ways.
Specifically,
the
legislation
is
designed
to
reform
the
Medicare
Supplemental
Oxygen
Benefit
by:
1.
Establishing
strong
patient
protections,
including
the
establishment
of
a
standardized,
electronic
template
to
protect
patients
and
providers
against
fraud
and
abuse,
2.
Creating
a
stable
Medicare
reimbursement
rate
to
safeguard
access
to
the
proper
oxygen
modalities
for
patients,
including
liquid
oxygen,
and
3.
Recognizing
the
important
role
of
respiratory
therapy
services
with
an
add-on
payment.
“The
CQRC
applauds
Senate
and
House
sponsors
for
the
prompt
reintroduction
of
the
SOAR
Act
in
the
119th
Congress
to
maintain
and
stabilize
reimbursement
rates
for
supplemental
oxygen
supplies
and
services.
This
legislation
will
also
ensure
enhanced
respiratory
and
pulmonary
care
access,
including
increased
access
to
high
flow
modalities
for
patients
to
improve
independence
and
quality
of
life,”
said
Robin
L.
Menchen,
President
and
CEO
of
Rotech
Healthcare
and
board
member
of
the
Council
for
Quality
Respiratory
Care
(CQRC).
“We
look
forward
to
continuing
our
advocacy
for
this
important
legislation
by
building
upon
the
momentum
the
SOAR
Act
received
in
the
previous
Congress
to
ensure
it
is
passed
this
year.”
Under
current
law,
existing
federal
policies
often
undercut
the
ability
of
patients
to
access
the
medically
necessary
treatments
their
doctors
prescribe,
creating
care
barriers
for
individuals
facing
severe
asthma,
pneumonia,
sleep
apnea,
chronic
obstructive
pulmonary
disease
(COPD),
and
cystic
fibrosis.
The
SOAR
Act,
championed
by
Senators
Cassidy,
Warner,
and
Klobuchar
and
Representatives
Valadao,
Brownley,
Smith,
and
Evans,
addresses
the
challenges
faced
by
Americans
living
with
serious
respiratory
and
pulmonary
conditions.
The
SOAR
Act
removes
supplemental
oxygen
from
Medicare’s
competitive
bidding
program
(CBP)
to
establish
separate
payment
rates
for
non-liquid
and
liquid
oxygen,
reflecting
diverse
patient
needs
and
oxygen
therapy
modalities.
In
doing
so,
more
beneficiaries
who
require
supplemental
oxygen
will
have
access
to
oxygen
therapy
both
in
their
home
and
communities.
To
protect
access
to
care
delivered
by
respiratory
therapists
and
help
patients
afford
and
access
these
essential
services,
the
SOAR
Act
establishes
an
add-on
payment
for
respiratory
therapy
services
to
the
supplemental
oxygen
rate,
including
the
blended
rates
for
rural
and
other
non-urban
areas.
Further,
the
bill
requires
Medicare
contractors
to
adopt
an
electronic
template
created
by
the
Centers
for
Medicare
&
Medicaid
Services
(CMS),
which
would
make
it
easier
to
prevent
fraudulent
or
abusive
claims,
clarify
patient
needs,
and
ensure
fair
reimbursement.
The
adoption
of
electronic
data
elements
to
determine
medical
necessity
would
provide
clear,
objective
protections
for
beneficiaries
who
receive
supplemental
oxygen,
in
addition
to
provisions
for
supplier
responsibility
to
uphold
high-quality
services.
By
requiring
physicians
to
provide
specific
data
elements
in
a
template
when
ordering
supplemental
oxygen,
Medicare
beneficiaries
can
be
better
protected
from
potential
fraud
and
abuse.
This
reform
will
allow
for
a
more
direct
and
systematic
way
to
establish
medical
necessity
for
supplemental
oxygen
therapies.
The
CQRC
looks
forward
to
working
with
bipartisan
lawmakers,
patient
advocates,
and
supplemental
oxygen
stakeholders
to
further
advance
this
legislation
in
2025.
In
the
118th
Congress,
the
SOAR
Act
garnered
a
significant
number
of
bipartisan
cosponsors
in
both
the
House
and
Senate.