The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) released its latest webcast, where Peter W. Thomas, JD, general counsel, discussed the inauguration, the start of the 119th Congress, and what the O&P profession can expect from a legislative standpoint as the new year begins.
New President and Congress: Incumbent Speaker Mike Johnson, (R-LA) was reelected on January 3, achieving the 218 votes he needed to be reelected to that position. Given that the vote had to be held open while Republican leaders convinced two Republican holdouts to vote for Johnson is “foreshadowing for the difficult task that lies ahead for House Republicans to execute on President Donald Trump’s agenda,” Thomas said. “To get bills through the House, it is likely that some Democrats will routinely need to be convinced to support GOP priorities, which is another way of saying that bipartisanship will be necessary in many instances.”
Expect O&P to Have to Play Some Defense: In addition to a flurry of executive orders that are expected to be issued on the first day of Trump’s presidency and will likely impact healthcare, the president is expected to press for a reconciliation bill (or bills) that will extend the Trump tax cuts and seek hundreds of billions, if not, trillions of dollars in government savings, Thomas said, which cannot be achieved without impacting entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, although the president has promised to protect Social Security. The O&P community—and all healthcare provider organizations—will be playing defense during this debate to try to hold off efforts to cut or freeze the Medicare fee schedules or save money in other ways, including potential expansion of competitive bidding, Thomas said.
O&P Legislative Priorities for 2025: NAAOP is taking stock of its proactive legislative priorities for the coming Congress and working with the O&P Alliance organizations and leaders in the field to help set these priorities, including the Medicare O&P Patient-Centered Care Act, the Veterans SPORT Act, and advocacy to fund O&P outcomes research through the Department of Defense. Thomas said NAAOP members with viewpoints about policy priorities should communicate with NAAOP leadership directly or through the NAAOP website.
The Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services (CMS) to Bolster O&P Practitioner Notes: In mid-December, CMS responded to a request from NAAOP and the O&P Alliance to bolster the Medicare Program Integrity Manual by including references to statutory language enacted several years ago to recognize the clinical notes of the prosthetist or orthotist in determining the medical necessity of O&P care. This should help better define O&P medical necessity and provide added professional recognition to certified and licensed O&P professionals, further distinguishing O&P care from durable medical equipment.
NAAOP Breece Fellowship: NAAOP will host its eighth George and Dena Breece Fellow this summer. The Breece Fellowship is an annual, paid, summer fellowship in Washington DC, where an individual with limb loss or limb difference experiences firsthand the process of advocating and seeking to improve O&P policy in the context of the broader health and disability agenda. The deadline for Breece Fellowship Applications is Monday, January 20.
To view a recording of the webinar, visit NAAOP’s website.
To watch the latest NAAOP webcast visit its YouTube page.
