WASHINGTON WIRE
May 22, 2009
Issue 201
Senate Finance Committee Wraps Up Healthcare Reform Roundtables
Senator Rockefeller Introduces Legislation to Make MedPAC an Executive Agency
DOJ, HHS Announce New Fraud Initiative
Senate Confirms Head of FDA, President Appoints Atlanta CDC Director
Top Story
Senate Finance Committee Wraps Up Healthcare Reform Roundtables
The Senate Finance Committee concluded a series of public roundtables, as well as related private meetings of Committee members, on healthcare reform as part of their efforts to draft healthcare legislation. The Committee also released the final of three documents on policy options: delivery reform, coverage and financing. Comments on the financing options are due Tuesday, May 26.
Senate HELP and Finance Committees are scheduled to mark up separate reform bills in mid June. Press reports indicate that the bills could be merged sometime in July, and that two weeks of floor time has been set aside for a debate of a Senate bill before the August recess, which begins August 7th.
Senate and House Republicans have unveiled details of healthcare legislation as an alternative to the Democrat-led plans. The Patient's Choice Act, which does not include a public plan option or an individual mandate, is sponsored by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Richard Burr (R-NC) and Reps. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Devin Nunes (R-CA). Republican Reps. Mark Kirk (IL) and Charlie Dent (PA) also unveiled the Medical Rights Act, which would place significant limits on a potential federal health board and on comparative effectiveness uses in the private healthcare sector.
Health Care News
Senator Rockefeller Introduces Legislation to Make MedPAC an Executive Agency
On Wednesday, May 20, Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced legislation that would place the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) in the executive branch. MedPAC is currently an independent legislative entity that advises Congress on Medicare payment issues.
This legislation will revise MedPAC's mission to:
- Reform MedPAC as an executive agency modeled after the Federal Reserve Board;
- Elevate MedPAC to be an independent, executive branch entity with the power to implement recommendations;
- Inform new research in health services to adequately address deficiencies in the evidence; and
- Test new and innovative payment models for provider reimbursement.
DOJ, HHS Announce New Fraud Initiative
On May 20, Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new joint-agency initiative to combat fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. The agencies plan to expand their Medicare strike force, which has focused on durable medical equipment fraud in South Florida and Los Angeles, into Detroit and Houston. The agencies have also created the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT). The team will be composed of officials from both agencies as well as state Medicaid Fraud Control Units and local police agencies and will meet biweekly to coordinate federal and state efforts to fight Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
Senate Confirms Head of FDA, President Appoints Atlanta CDC Director
The Senate the week of May 18 confirmed Margaret Hamburg to lead the Food and Drug Administration and President Obama appointed Dr. Thomas Frieden, the current commissioner of the New York City Health Department, as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Among other positions, Hamburg formerly served as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services. Frieden has been commissioner of the New York City Health Department since January 2002.
Upcoming Events
Hearings
No hearings are yet scheduled for the week of May 25.
For More Information
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