The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) promulgated changes having negative and far-reaching implications for home medical equipment (HME) services including access to care, quality of services, and decimation of an integral part of the health care system. The unexpected results have included closure of an undetermined number of HME providers and serious questions regarding decreased availability of service to Medicare patients. The 106th Congress attempted to address and remedy several of the provisions in the BBA by passing or introducing bills affecting home oxygen therapy, competitive bidding, surety bonds, inherent reasonableness authority, and fraud and abuse.
