Thanks to advocates taking action nationwide, we are thrilled to report that 18 Members of Congress co-signed this important letter sent to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this week. The bipartisan letter, led by Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), urges CMS to modernize coverage determinations for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis and treatment to reflect current medical science and standards of care.
“Updating current criteria in a timely fashion will ensure access to proper diagnosis and treatment options for all people experiencing serious symptoms and health consequences of sleep apnea, including women and younger individuals to better reflect the real-life variations of how sleep apnea manifests in individuals,” the 18 members of Congress wrote in the letter.
“Sleep apnea is a serious public health issue that affects millions of Americans, yet too many patients are falling through the cracks because federal coverage standards are outdated,” said Congressman Ciscomani in a press release. “We have a responsibility to ensure CMS policies reflect current science so patients can access timely, accurate diagnoses and effective treatment — especially women and younger individuals whose symptoms have historically been overlooked.”
In addition, 18 professional societies and advocacy groups co-signed and sent an important letter to CMS this week showing that the medical, research, and patient communities are aligned on this issue. Huge thanks to the 18 sleep organizations who signed onto the sleep community letter.
Special thanks to Congressman Juan Ciscomani of Arizona and his office for championing this letter, especially Alex who organized all the co-signers. Thanks to all the Congressional Offices who responded to their constituents’ requests and signed on.
These Members of Congress signed on because of you – this incredible community of sleep advocates across the country who took action. Each person who supported this effort deserves to feel extremely proud for giving a powerful voice to the many Americans, especially for women and young adults, impacted by this issue.
The bipartisan Congressional letter represents an official inquiry from lawmakers exercising oversight of the agency. The letter asks CMS to provide a timely update and timeline for modernizing current coverage definitions and criteria for OSA to match current standards of care. Next, CMS has a few months to issue an official position and reply to the members of Congress. Based on how CMS responds, it will inform any necessary next steps with the community and with Congressional offices on Capitol Hill, and, hopefully, implementation of a new policy by CMS.
Project Sleep will keep you posted on CMS’ official response, all next steps, and other opportunities to take action. Please sign up for advocacy alert e-updates here.
