As the co-chairs of the House and Senate Diabetes Caucuses, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) sent a letter to President Trump’s Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz (a.k.a. Dr. Oz), urging him to rescind a proposal.
According to the bipartisan caucus leadership, the proposal for CMS’s Medicare Competitive Bidding Program “would make it harder for diabetic patients to access lifesaving tools like glucose monitors and insulin pumps.”
@SenatorCollins, @RepDianaDeGette, @RepGusBilirakis and I—co-chairs of the House and Senate Diabetes Caucuses—are urging @DrOzCMS to rescind a proposal that would make it harder for diabetic patients to access lifesaving tools like glucose monitors and insulin pumps.
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— Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (@SenatorShaheen) October 27, 2025
The elected officials point out in the letter that Oz’s agency, CMS, “proposes a new and untested payment model for CGMs [continuous glucose monitors] and durable insulin pumps while also proposing to include these devices in the competitive bidding program.”
The lawmakers also voiced concern about the proposal “shifting responsibilities for maintenance, education and training” from manufacturers to suppliers, “which would both decrease patient access and choice to this critical technology.”
Under the proposed rule, just a few suppliers nationwide would be involved, and they “would not be required to carry all types and combinations of CGMs and durable insulin pumps…which would push beneficiaries closer to a one size fits all model that would not meet their needs.”
Note: Sen. Collins voted for Dr. Oz’s nomination to become the CMS Administrator; Sen. Shaheen voted against Oz’s nomination.