WASHINGTON WIRE
August 7, 2009
Issue 211
HOUSE COMMITTEE WILL CONSIDER HEALTHCARE AMENDMENTS AFTER RECESS
FINANCE COMMITTEE CONTINUES TO NEGOTIATE ON HEALTH CARE
MEMBERS PREPARE FOR RECESS HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL MEETINGS
AHRQ RELEASES PLAN ON CER FUNDING
CMS PUBLISHES 2010 MEDICARE PAYMENT AND POLICY UPDATES FOR INPATIENT REHABILITATION
SENATE HELP APPROVES COLLINS AS NIH DIRECTOR
SUPPLIERS HAVE TWO MONTHS TO SUBMIT BIDS IN DME COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROGRAM
Top Story
HOUSE COMMITTEE WILL CONSIDER HEALTHCARE AMENDMENTS AFTER RECESS
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider a series of amendments to HR 3200, despite having voted the bill out of committee July 31. In September, the Committee will review 55 to 60 pending health care reform amendments and compile the passed amendments into a bill to be merged with HR 3200. The Rules Committee will be merging the House's three versions of the health care reform bill along with the fourth bill of amendments.
The amendments already agreed to by the Committee included the "unity" amendment, an agreement between Progressive Democrats and Blue Dogs on the legislation. A portion of the agreement would require 10% of the expense for any Medicaid expansion to be paid by states. Many state officials are concerned about this amendment because they believe that states already have difficulty with their current budgets and this increased burden may have a devastating effect on state economies.
Health Care News
FINANCE COMMITTEE CONTINUES TO NEGOTIATE ON HEALTH CARE
Senate Finance Committee members continue to work on a compromise for healthcare reform legislation while Senate Democratic leaders continue to consider reconciliation as a fall back if a bi-partisan agreement remains out of reach. It is expected that the Committee will release language after the August recess, which for the Senate begins at the end of the day Friday, August 7 and continues until September 7.
In trying to push negotiations along, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) told reporters that if an agreement was not reached by September 15, it was likely that reconciliation would be used. The reconciliation process allows legislation to be passed in the Senate with a simple majority (51 votes, rather than the 60 needed otherwise.) Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has been working with a select number of bipartisan committee members in an attempt to bridge differences over the controversial health care reform efforts. Baucus has also said that 80 percent of the bill will be identical to the Senate HELP legislation. The remaining 20 percent, however, is likely to include the most difficult parts of the bill to negotiate: the "pay fors," such as a possible fee or tax on high-value insurance policies.
Baucus also signaled recently that states would be expected to cover some of the costs of any Medicaid expansion in the legislation, an announcement that will likely concern governors as they grapple with shortfalls during the current recession. Many Democrats view a Medicaid expansion as one strategy for covering the millions of uninsured in the U.S. A requirement for states to contribute to any expansion is a nod to fiscal conservatives that have expressed serious qualms with the cost of current legislation.
MEMBERS PREPARE FOR RECESS HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL MEETINGS
As members of Congress leave for the August recess, they are preparing for a series of health care reform town hall meetings that are scheduled throughout the country. A few of the town hall meetings have become a lightening rod for proponents and opponents of healthcare reform alike, and the large turn out and sometimes disruptive protests illustrate the passion and interest citizens hold in the legislation that is being drafted in DC. The meetings offer an opportunity for citizens to voice their opinion before lawmakers return to finalize and vote on healthcare reform legislation in Congress.
AHRQ RELEASES PLAN ON CER FUNDING
In FY 2009 and 2010, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will use $300 million allocated for comparative effectiveness research under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to expand and broaden pre-existing comparative effectiveness research activities. Part of the funds will go towards AHRQ's Effective Health Care (EHC) Program. The funds will be spent on specific areas, including evidence synthesis, evidence gap identification, and creating a citizens' forum on effective health care.
CMS PUBLISHES 2010 MEDICARE PAYMENT AND POLICY UPDATES FOR INPATIENT REHABILITATION FACILITIES
On Friday, August 7, CMS published a final rule updating the Medicare payment rates and policies for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) for FY 2010. CMS will adopt a market basket update of 2.5 percent for IRFs. The rule also revises the case mix group relative weights and average length of stay values and sets an outlier threshold of $10,652 for FY 2010. CMS will require the submission of patient assessment data on Medicare Advantage patients in IRFs.
SENATE HELP APPROVES COLLINS AS NIH DIRECTOR
On August 4, the Senate HELP Committee unanimously approved Francis S. Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health. President Obama nominated Collins on July 8, and the full Senate is expected to approve his nomination later this year. Collins led the U.S. effort to sequence the human genome and was the first Director of the NIH National Human Genome Research Institute.
SUPPLIERS HAVE TWO MONTHS TO SUBMIT BIDS IN DME COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROGRAM
CMS plans to schedule a 60-day bidding period between October 21 and December 21 for durable medical equipment vendors that supply Medicare beneficiaries and wish to participate in the agency's competitive bidding program. CMS plans to make available online registration later this month. The agency estimates that November 21 would be the date for bidders to submit financial documents.CMS also announced a series of Open Door Forums for suppliers interested in more information. The program will officially being in 2011.
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