SOAR Act Takes Flight: Bipartisan Push To Improve Supplemental Oxygen Access And Medicare Protections
Published in
Government Relations
on April 11, 2025
The Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act has been reintroduced in both the House and Senate. In the House, the bipartisan H.R. 2902 was introduced by Representatives David Valadao (R-CA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Adrian Smith (R-NE), and Gabe Evans (R-CO). Meanwhile, in another show of bipartisan support, S1406, was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
According to CQRC, the SOAR Act is designed to streamline patients’ access to availability and delivery of supplemental oxygen in three impactful ways:
- Establishing strong patient protections, including the establishment of a standardized, electronic template to protect patients and providers against fraud and abuse.
- Creating a stable Medicare reimbursement rate to safeguard access to the proper oxygen modalities for patients, including liquid oxygen.
- Recognizing the important role of respiratory therapy services with an add-on payment.
The SOAR Act also aims to remove supplemental oxygen from Medicare’s Competitive Bid Program and establishes separate rates for liquid and non-liquid oxygen. Furthermore, it would require Medicare contractors to adopt a template created by CMS which would aim to prevent fraud and abuse while clarifying needs of the patient—ultimately ensuring fair reimbursement for providers.
VGM is excited to collaborate and advocate with our industry partners to garner additional support from both chambers on this important piece of legislation. Together, we aim to drive meaningful change and ensure impactful legislative progress that benefits the communities we serve. We will provide updates as they become available.
Learn more about the SOAR Act here:
HME News: Bill introduced to ‘maintain and stabilize’ oxygen reimbursement
CQRC: Supplemental Oxygen Providers & Suppliers Commend Reintroduction of the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act in U.S. Congress - CQRC