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December in D.C. with John Gallagher

Published in Government Relations on December 03, 2021

Amongst the end of the year whirl in Washington D.C., John Gallagher was able to have many productive meetings during his visit to the nation’s capitol this week. Discussions during this visit included reimbursement concerns for DMEPOS items against many mounting issues like COVID mandates, supply chain issues, additional surcharges on HME products, and many more. 

John had a fantastic meeting with Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) of the House Ways and Means. Rep. Arrington also serves on the Rural and Underserved Caucus and has an interest in HME issues. John met with both him and his health staff, Elle Ciapciak. 

Rep. Jodey Arrington

(Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and John Gallagher)

John also met with Rep. Mark Wayne Mullin (R-OK) who sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Thanks to OMEPA, Rep. Mullin already has been educated on the concerns in the HME industry and understands the need for improved reimbursement to continue to serve patients. Rep. Mullin has agreed to be a champion to the HME industry going forward! 

Rep. Mark Wayne Mullin and John Gallagher

(Rep. Mark Wayne Mullin and John Gallagher)

While in Washington D.C., John also continued his discussions on HME issues with Sen. Grassley, Sen. Ernst’s staff, and Rep. Ashley Hinson. 

Sen. Grassley and John

(Sen. Grassley with John Gallagher)

You may recognize the nice young man standing in between John Gallagher and Rep. Hinson in the photo below. That’s Jason Becker, VGM Government Team former intern. He is now interning for Rep. Hinson’s office in D.C.

Rep. Hinson, Jason Becker, John Gallagher

(Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) with Jason Becker and John Gallagher)

We will continue to follow up on these meetings and keep you updated. 

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