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Take Action Today: Urge CMS to Pause and Re-Evaluate the Competitive Bidding Program

Published in VGM Government Relations on October 24, 2025

Now is the time to raise our voices. With the formal announcement of the Competitive Bidding (CB) Program expected as early as the end of this month, we must act swiftly and decisively. Below are two key opportunities to engage with your U.S. Representative and encourage their support for a Congressional letter urging Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to pause and reassess the CB Program. 

A new congressional letter led by Representatives Dan Meuser (R-PA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) calls on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CMS to pause the CB program and re-evaluate its provisions. The letter emphasizes the need to ensure the program aligns with the Administration’s goals of rebuilding American manufacturing, protecting Main Street businesses, and fostering innovation. 

The letter is addressed to Dr. Mehmet Oz, highlighting the urgency and importance of reassessing the CB program’s impact on the durable medical equipment (DME) industry and the broader healthcare ecosystem. 

Read the full letter here.

Take Action: Please contact your representative and urge them to support this effort by signing the letter. Instruct them to reach out directly to Rep. Meuser’s or Rep. Miller-Meeks’ offices to express your support or ask questions. AAHomecare shared this call to action yesterday along with valuable resources and guidance to help you engage effectively (see below). 

Help Recruit House Republicans to Join Sign-On Letter on CB Program 

Please Reach Out to GOP House Members as Soon as Possible! 

Reps. Dan Meuser and Mariannette Miller-Meeks are spearheading a sign-on letter for House Republicans asking CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz to prevent flawed provisions for a new round of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) from taking effect. 
 
The letter notes several major issues with the CBP provisions in the recent DMEPOS/Home Health Proposed Rule, including impacts on domestic medical product manufacturing, the addition of new product categories unsuited to the bidding program, and impacts on business.
 
The letter specifically asks CMS to withdraw expansion of the CBP into new product categories and to keep in place “guardrails established under the first Trump Administration—including use of the unadjusted 2015 fee schedules as the bid ceiling and payment at the clearing price—helped stabilize the market, maintain supplier viability, and protect patient access.” 
 
The letter proposes an alternate path that directs the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to “test an America First demonstration that rewards U.S.-made and allied-sourced products, incorporates modern fraud-prevention technologies, and evaluates outcomes before any nationwide expansion.” 
 
While we seek and embrace bipartisan support for reining in the numerous problematic issues with the proposed rule, this letter is specifically focused on enlisting House Republicans to weigh in with Dr. Oz. 
 
If you are represented in the House by a Republican, please share the letter with their staffer who handles healthcare issues and ask them to join the letter. You can share the link below with them (copy and paste) so they can see the letter and sign on: 
 
https://quill.senate.gov/letters/letter/30197/opt-in/view/5ec4607e-b349-4ea4-99ea-e9a1de08d379/ 
 
Note: you will not be able to open that link, but Congressional staff can access it to see and sign on to the letter. You can view the letter language here. 
 
CMS is expected to release Final Rule soon, so please take action today! 
 
Contact Gordon Barnes at gordonb@aahomecare.org if you need contact info for your healthcare staffer or would like a PDF attachment of the letter to share, or for any other assistance in developing and delivering your message. 
 
Thank you for your advocacy as we continue to use every available channel to reach and influence the Administration on the flawed CBP proposal! 

Oct. 23, 2025 

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