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Hello,
Weekly Healthcare Reform Update
Finance
Committee completes amendment process, awaits final CBO score
The
Senate Finance Committee finished considering numerous amendments to
America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009, its version of healthcare reform
legislation, in the early hours of Friday, Oct. 2. Over seven days, the
committee members considered close to 130 amendments, including many
important to MGMA members.
We anticipate that a significant number of the rejected amendments to the
legislation will be offered on the Senate floor after it is merged with the
bill approved by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The
Finance Committee delayed a vote on the bill to l the week of Oct. 5 to
allow the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to determine the official costs
of the legislation as amended.
Two
amendments to create a public option plan – one with reimbursement tied to
Medicare rates and one with negotiated reimbursement rates – were offered
and defeated. Committee members offered multiple amendments to change
provisions in the bill to increase the 2010 Medicare physician payment
rate, but they were rejected due to disagreements over offsetting revenue
sources. During committee deliberations, the Finance Committee chair, Sen.
Max Baucus, D-Mont., acknowledged that the physician payment issue as
written, with an increase of only 0.5 percent for 2010, was not acceptable,
and pledged to attempt to address it during floor consideration of the
bill.
The
Senate leadership will now merge the two Senate versions of healthcare
reform and send it to the CBO. The Senate majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid,
D-Nev., has indicated his intention to begin debate on the Senate
floor the week of Oct. 12, but questions remain as to whether final
legislative language can be drafted and costs calculated in that timeframe.
Watch your MGMA Washington Connexion for grassroots advocacy
instructions as preparations for floor debate and amendments to the merged
legislation proceed.
House leaders
continue to work to craft a bill from the legislation passed by the three
House Committees of jurisdiction. Discussions important to medical groups
continue, particularly those dealing with recalibrating Medicare
reimbursement formulas to examine geographic adjustment factors. The House
is not expected to finish its discussions and finalize a bill for floor
consideration until late October.
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Oct. 5, 2009
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Member Resources
Healthcare Reform Resource Center
Medicare Provider Enrollment Toolkit
Red Flags Rule Resource Center
Recovery Audit Contractors Resource Center
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