To whom it may concern:

    My name is Joe Fernandez, the owner of Harrisonville Home Health Equipment, which has been serving Harrisonville and the surrounding rural communities since may of 2002.  This prevents many of patients from having to travel into Kansas City to take care of their Durable Medical Equipment services.  We provide an alternative to the bigger corporations.  For example, we are a friendly face that they recognize and trust for all of their home medical equipment and repair services.  We are a small business that treats each new customer as “family”.  They are not just another number to us.  We provide a valuable service to the people in the Cass County area. 

    We find it difficult to compete with the large corporations but by offering friendly and quick service we have found our corner of the market.  However, what Medicare has done with competitive bidding is completely unfair and unreasonable for the small business owners of America.  Competitive Bidding will force the small businessman out of business.  I have done every thing I could to stay in business.  I became Joint Commission Accredited and I submitted my bids, only to get back bid disqualifications for all my bids.  I received BSE-4: (Bidder did not submit along with its bid the applicable financial documentation specified in the request for bids).   I called Medicare and found out specifically what I needed to send in for financial documentation very early in the bidding process.  So I sent in the financial documentation along with all 5 of my bids.  Harrisonville Home Health Equipment deals in many areas of medical equipment and supplies.  We provide a valuable service to the community and physicians.  However if we lose our contract with Medicare to supply Standard Power Wheelchairs, Scooters and Related Accessories we will be forced into Bankruptcy and we will have to close our business.

    It doesn’t make any since with the way the economy is right now to force a large volume of businesses into bankruptcy and increase unemployment for hardworking Americans.  This is a big industry and it will have a big impact that will be felt everywhere in the United States.  In most cases the government would step in and stop such a hostel take-over or prevent certain disaster for American businesses. But the government just wants to add kindling to the fire we our already under.

Thank you for your time

Joe Fernandez