WASHINGTON WIRE
May 26, 2009
Issue 202
Kennedy Releases Outline of Healthcare Reform Bill; Mark-ups Scheduled for June
Powers Pyles to Host Transplant Compliance and Cost Recovery Audio Seminar
Top Story
Kennedy Releases Outline of Healthcare Reform Bill; Mark-ups Scheduled for June
The Senate HELP Committee has released an unofficial summary of a healthcare reform bill and a schedule for the mark-up of the legislation. According to the summary, the bill would contain a public plan option and individual and employer mandates. The legislation would also include state or federally run exchanges and a federal health board.
According to the schedule, the Senate HELP Committee will walk through the legislation between June 2 and June 3, and will have a bi-partisan walk through on June 5 and June 9. The committee might hold hearings on June 10 and 11, and start marking up the healthcare reform bill on June 16, with a target of finishing on June 25.
The Senate Finance Committee is also expected to release a bill in June. Democratic leaders in Congress have set a deadline of the August recess to reach bi-partisan consensus on legislation in both chambers. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) set aside two weeks of floor time right before the August recess, which starts August 7, for discussion of the health reform bill. Reid has warned that Senate Democrats may trigger the reconciliation process if consensus is not reached on a healthcare reform bill through regular process.
Upcoming Events
Powers Pyles to Host Transplant Compliance and Cost Recovery Audio Seminar
Powers, Pyles, Sutter and Verville is hosting a transplant compliance and cost recovery audio seminar on June 11 from Noon to 1:30 PM. Organ acquisition costs are among the few remaining areas of Medicare reasonable cost reimbursement. Transplant centers must adopt effective and compliant policies and procedures to ensure that they are properly recovering the organ acquisition costs. In addition, transplant center relationships with physicians, OPOs, laboratories, and suppliers may raise legal concerns. This program is targeted to the unique issues facing transplant centers. It will include an in-depth discussion of the Medicare rules regarding allowable organ acquisition costs, review how the federal fraud and abuse laws impact the operations of transplant centers, address new Medicare certification standards for transplant centers, and provide guidance on survey preparation, plans of correction, and pursuing appeals. There is no fee to participate in this informative session. For more information or to register, click here.
Hearings
No healthcare hearings are listed yet for the first week of June.
For More Information
For further information on any topics discussed or publications listed, or to get copies of anything mentioned in this alert, please call (202) 466-6550 and ask for the Legislative Practice Group.
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