Op-Ed: Andrew Langer: President Trump should reject the dangerous Biden policy that threatens access to life-saving wound care

Andrew Langer lays out why the Trump administration needs to reverse a last-minute Biden regulation.

Every year, millions of Americans receive life-saving wound care from their trusted physicians. This care is especially important for American seniors, veterans, and people living with diabetes, among other chronic conditions. Unfortunately, the resurrection of a Biden-era policy by the Trump administration is threatening the ability of physicians to effectively treat these patients. This critical moment calls for policymakers to stand with doctors, nurses, and patients — not the Washington bureaucrats trying to limit access to life-saving wound care.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a policy that would recategorize skin substitutes — advanced wound care treatments that help the body heal — under the Medicare fee schedule and reduce access to care. A study in the Journal of Wound Care found that this change, rammed through only 9 days after President Joe Biden lost the election, would result in 431,429 unnecessary amputations. In a separate study, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimated loss of life from preventing access to skin substitutes could exceed 180,000.

President Donald Trump affirmed his commitment to rolling back this Biden-era policy proposal and aiding suffering patients in accessing essential wound care. By resurrecting the policy, the Trump administration is, as President Trump put it, “playing Russian Roulette with people’s lives.” The policy is dangerous and reckless, and could have vast impacts on the more than 1.2 million Americans who receive care for diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers every year. Further, it undermines President Trump and RFK’s stated mission of fighting chronic disease and ending diabetes.

The new rule would result in a 90 percent reduction in physician reimbursement. In doing so, CMS would essentially prevent doctors from prescribing skin substitutes. American patients deserve the opportunity to have choice in their medical care.

The proposed change to physician reimbursement structures substitutes the judgment of government bureaucrats for the judgment of trained physicians and nurses. These healthcare professionals are at the core of the American patient’s ability to make informed decisions about their health care. The government should not be in the business of intervening in the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship.

There are very real concerns about Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse. Our taxpayer-funded healthcare system should not fund unnecessary procedures, and the Trump administration has made significant strides in reducing the cost of Medicare to taxpayers by rooting out corruption.

And there is certainly room for additional thoughtful and commonsense reforms to aid in the fight against Medicare fraud. But challenges around the prescribing of skin substitutes are not problems that can be solved with a hammer; they are far better suited for a scalpel. What’s more, the current proposal to change reimbursement structures will do nothing to help fight fraud, it will only jeopardize the health of patients.

Instead, CMS should adopt policies that ensure proper National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) for these products. CMS should also consider whether or not limiting reimbursement is a form of government overreach. More suited to these innovative medical practices is an industry-funded self-regulatory organization, which can ensure proper oversight of clinicians and patients by those who are closest to the sites of care. Not only that, but this is the existing standard for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies.

Following the Biden administration’s lead has never resulted in positive outcomes for Americans. In March, President Trump promised that “Help is on the way!” for vulnerable patients in need of wound care. President Trump should follow his instincts, reject Biden’s poor judgment, and preserve access to essential wound care for seniors, veterans, and people living with diabetes.

Andrew Langer is Director of the Center for Regulatory Freedom at the CPAC Foundation.