Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act Reaches 50 Bipartisan Cosponsors in Support of Respiratory Care Reform

More than 13 leading respiratory patient, physician and provider organizations today applauded the growing bipartisan momentum behind the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act (H.R. 2902/S.1406), which has now surpassed 50 cosponsors in Congress.  

The SOAR Act would ensure more individuals with chronic lung and respiratory conditions can access the supplemental oxygen they need to survive and live independently – something that has become increasingly difficult under the current Medicare system. For too many people, access to the right kind of supplemental oxygen is unreliable, delayed or simply unavailable to them. The SOAR Act is a critical step toward fixing a broken system and ensuring patients can get the care they need when they need it.

The bill would modernize Medicare’s oxygen benefit, improve access to respiratory therapists and strengthen patient protections – helping reduce avoidable hospitalizations and allowing people to remain active and independent. Importantly, the SOAR Act would also restore access to liquid oxygen, which has become nearly impossible to obtain in many parts of the country, despite being essential for patients with the highest needs.

More than 13 patient, healthcare professional and industry organizations support the SOAR Act. In a letter to Congress, the groups wrote, “By passing the SOAR Act, Congress can help the more than 1.5 million individuals living with COPD, heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, people awaiting lung transplants and other advanced chronic respiratory diseases who rely on supplemental oxygen live independently and healthily. This bill also addresses challenges faced by people who are low-income and rural and medically underserved who currently struggle to secure adequate care.”

The SOAR Act was reintroduced last year and currently has 48 House sponsors and cosponsors and six Senate sponsors and cosponsors. The organizations call on more members of Congress to support this life-changing legislation.

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Alpha-1 Foundation
American College of Chest Physicians
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
American Association for Respiratory Care
American Lung Association
American Thoracic Society
COPD Foundation
Council for Quality Respiratory Care
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Running On Air

For more information, contact:
Jill Dale, American Lung Association
312-940-7001
[email protected]

Ellen Almond, CQRC
202-271-0234
[email protected]