Congress Must Work to Strengthen Medicare Access to Lifesaving Oxygen

When our son came home from the NICU, he used supplemental medical oxygen at home. My wife and I saw up close that the right oxygen, delivered the right way, doesn’t just help a child breathe—it lets a family breathe easier, too. That experience turned a policy debate into something personal. 

Nationwide, more than 1.5 million American seniors—and many others with serious respiratory disease—rely on supplemental oxygen to live fuller, more active lives. Yet too many patients struggle to get the modality that meets their needs, especially people who require high-flow or liquid oxygen to safely leave the house and participate in daily life. This is especially true in places like Colorado, where the higher altitude often forces patients to use elevated levels of supplemental oxygen. Unfortunately, access has declined since Medicare implemented competitive bidding for oxygen equipment, which drove down payment rates and reduced the availability of oxygen types that complex patients need.

That is why I joined Reps. David Valadao, Julia Brownley and Adrian Smith to introduce the bipartisan Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act. Our bill is a practical fix that restores access and encourages innovation while protecting taxpayers. 

The SOAR Act addresses this by permanently removing oxygen and oxygen-related equipment from the competitive bidding process and establishing a payment approach that supports access to the right therapy for the right patient—not merely the cheapest option. By aligning payment with clinical need, we can ensure Medicare beneficiaries obtain oxygen in the appropriate type and at the appropriate level.

The legislation also recognizes what clinicians already know: liquid oxygen is different and, for some patients, essential. It is lighter, more portable, and capable of delivering higher oxygen levels—often the difference between living a normal life and being homebound. SOAR creates a separate, appropriate payment for liquid oxygen, so it is available when medically necessary and sustainable to provide.

Fixing access also means fixing paperwork. Today, legitimate claims can be delayed by a documentation process built on piecing together medical records and notes. SOAR directs Medicare to adopt a clear, standardized electronic template for documenting medical necessity. That will curb fraud and abuse, speed legitimate claims and give clinicians predictable rules without a tangle of red tape.

There is another gap to close. Medicare does not currently reimburse the respiratory therapist services that help patients set up equipment safely, troubleshoot problems, and stay out of the hospital. Our bill adds a reasonable payment for those services and establishes a straightforward “bill of rights” so beneficiaries know what to expect and suppliers know what they must provide.

The administration recently took steps to protect access to supplemental oxygen for patients and families by timely deciding not to rebid oxygen in the next round of Medicare’s competitive bidding program in 2026, demonstrating an intent to preserve patient access while locking in Medicare savings already achieved through the competitive bidding program.

We now have an opportunity to make this exclusion to stabilize patient access permanent while also addressing patient need for high-flow or liquid oxygen, recognizing the clinical value of respiratory therapy services and advancing new patient protections to stymie fraud and abuse.  

This is not about writing a blank check. It is about making a vital benefit work the way families need it to work. When Medicare treats oxygen like the lifeline it is, patients stay healthier, avoid costly complications and maintain their independence.

Our bill can improve efficiencies and better systems, preserving and enhancing access to care for families like my own. Congress should come together to pass the SOAR Act and ensure that patients can access the oxygen they need, in the right form, at the right time.

Rep. Gabe Evans represents Colorado’s 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.