Last month, United States Senators Jack Reed (D-RI)) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced the Home Oxygen Patient Protection (HOPP) Act.  This legislation would undo a provision that was included in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act that required Medicare beneficiaries receiving home oxygen therapy to purchase the equipment after 36 months.  Senator Reed commented that "More than 1 million Medicare recipients suffer from chronic respiratory illness requiring oxygen therapy for their survival.  Medical oxygen is a prescription drug and it is essential that these patients receive this oxygen safely."

Peter Kelly, Chairman of the Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CORC), says: "Adequate Medicare funding for home oxygen therapy will be crucial in the coming years to help patients maintain independence and quality of life, especially as incidence of COPD and other lung-related diseases continue to rise."  The CORC is a coalition of 11 leading home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturers who provide services and care to approximately 650,000 home oxygen therapy patients.  The CORC applauded the HOPP Act as a measure to ensure that the over 1 million Medicare patients requiring supplemental oxygen continue to have access to home oxygen therapy.

The typical home oxygen therapy patient is a 73-year-old woman suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which is the nation’s 4th leading cause of death.  COPD is a respiratory disease that obstructs airflow to the lungs, causing shortness of breath and a host of other aliments.  COPD is the term physicians prefer to use referring to 2 lung diseases that frequently co-exist, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  The primary risk factor for the disease is smoking, with approximately 80% to 90% of COPD deaths being smoking related.  "Chronic respiratory illness is devastating and debilitating", added Senator Reed.  I will work with my colleagues to ensure that these Medicare patients are again able to receive life-saving assistance and help improve both their safety and overall quality of life."

It seems that Congress is finally realizing that long-term oxygen therapy has a proven track record as a cost effective method for respiratory illness.  When you compare the average cost of hospitalization for COPD, $4,603 per day, to the cost of home oxygen therapy, $7.62 per day, the saving are remarkable.  These savings can be increased even further by using oxygen concentrators.  Oxygen concentrators simply plug into standard electrical outlets, with many models being energy efficient.  These instruments save money by eliminating the need for cylinder refilling and scheduling of deliveries.

For information about 2 of the most advanced portable oxygen delivery systems please visit Inogen One and Sequal Eclipse to learn about where advances in COPD and Emphysema treatment therapy.