1. beneficiary Taking it to the

2. National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice

3. National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice What is Competitive Bidding? The basic premise is that the government will implement cost controls in an effort to save money - The lowest bid will get the government contract - Not used for any Medicare service on product up to today - Medicare beneficiaries are now free to buy from any qualified provider

4. How Competitive bidding affects you, the Medicare beneficiary! 1)Choice 2)Quality of service 3)Innovation 4)Monopoly/Expanded Government National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice

5. is invalid Why the basic premise of Competitive Bidding National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice

6. Choice Patients will have dramatically reduced choice of home-care providers Rural areas will be hardest hit Patients will be forced to travel to larger cities to receive health care products/services The small, independent, community-based home-care dealer will no longer exist. What impact will this have? Question: Do we really want the government to dictate from whom you get your health-care products and services?

7. National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice Reduced Service The few home health-care providers left will face severe budget constraints, and the first thing that will be cut is service, including preventive equipment maintenance, patient education, 24-hour on-call service and care by professional respiratory therapists. Question: Have you ever seen large health- care chains increase service and quality when competition is eliminated?

8. National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice Curtailed innovation As reimbursements are forced down, manu- facturers will have no economic incentive to continue to develop innovative products and enhancements. Manufacturers will be incented to produce cheap equipment offshore with no regard for the quality of life that patients expect and deserve. Question: Once competition is eliminated through competitive bidding, do you believe large national chain stores will spend extra on innovation, quality products?

9. National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice Small business, especially in small communities, is the engine of the U.S. economy. Seventy percent of all new employment is through small business. By all estimates, Competitive bidding will eliminate 40 to 60 percent of independent home medical equipment dealers nationally. All that will be left will be the “Big Box” national chains located in larger cities. NCB will require an expanded government bureaucracy to administer. Question: Do we really want our government to create a monopoly in our health-care industry? Do we really want to see a bigger government to run Competitive Bidding? Monopoly/Expanded Government

10. National Competitive Bidding vs. Patient Choice National Medicare beneficiaries. is BAD government policy and is BAD for Competitive Bidding

11. Contact your Congressional representatives How you, the beneficiary can fight competitive bidding