Laurence Wilson of CMS on Monday attempted to address concerns that Medicare beneficiaries could lose access to oxygen equipment next year because of a change in federal law scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2009, the AP/Boston Globe reports.

The change will limit to three years the length of time that Medicare will pay a rental fee for oxygen equipment. At the end of the three-year period, Medicare will pay for routine maintenance and service visits for six months. Oxygen equipment suppliers will have to maintain the equipment for as long as five years. According to the AP/Globe, Medicare currently spends about $3 billion annually to provide oxygen equipment to an estimated one million beneficiaries, one-third of whom need to use the equipment for more than three years.

CMS has received concerns about the change from Medicare beneficiaries and insurance counselors in Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and other states, Wilson said. He said that the concerns are unfounded and in many cases have resulted from misleading representations by oxygen equipment suppliers. CMS will take enforcement action against oxygen equipment suppliers that have misled Medicare beneficiaries, and such actions will range from a warning letter to the revocation of supplier billing numbers, Wilson said (AP/Boston Globe, 12/15).