Congress must work to strengthen Medicare access to lifesaving oxygen |
When our son came home from the NICU, he used supplemental medical oxygen at home. My wife and I saw up close that the right oxygen, delivered the right way, doesn’t just help a child breathe—it lets a family breathe easier, too. That experience turned a policy debate into something personal.
Nationwide, more than 1.5 million American seniors—and many others with serious respiratory disease—rely on supplemental oxygen to live fuller, more active lives. Yet too many patients struggle to get the modality that meets their needs, especially people who require high-flow or liquid oxygen to safely leave the house and participate in daily life. This is especially true in places like Colorado, where the higher altitude often forces patients to use elevated levels of supplemental oxygen. Unfortunately, access has declined since Medicare implemented competitive bidding for oxygen equipment, which drove down payment rates and reduced the availability of oxygen types that complex patients need.
That is why I joined Reps. David........