S. 2736: Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-03-17 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-03-17 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016

Plain summary

Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay by one year the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs). (Sec. 3) In addition, the bill specifies that the bid ceiling for durable medical equipment items under Medicare's competitive acquisition program (through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule) shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined for those items. (Sec. 4) Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for durable medical equipment items furnished in areas outside of such programs. Current law also allows, but does not require, CMS to make such adjustments with respect to certain orthotics (such as splints and braces) and parenteral and enteral nutrients, equipment, and supplies (such as feeding tubes). The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors: average travel distance and cost associated with furnishing items and services, barriers to access, average delivery time, average volume of items and services furnished by suppliers, and number of suppliers. (Sec. 5) In four quarterly reports, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment. (Sec. 6) The bill accelerates the applicability, from January 1, 2019, to October 1, 2018, of provisions of current law that limit federal Medicaid reimbursement to states for durable medical equipment to Medicare payment rates.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · 35 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), James Lankford (R-OK), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Rand Paul (R-KY), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] reported raising $4.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s2736.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s2736 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114