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Senior Citizen Politics
Medicare Legislation in Senate Facing GOP Filibuster
on Private Firms’ Issues
Sen. Baucus says package will not include cuts
to Medicare Advantage
Dec. 14, 2007 - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
on Thursday said that the chamber would wait for the Senate to craft
Medicare legislation rather than write its own bill because of continued
disagreement among lawmakers on what to include, CongressDaily reports
(Johnson, CongressDaily, 12/13). The bill is being written to stop a
scheduled 10% reduction in Medicare physician fees scheduled to take
effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Pelosi's announcement "represents a concession for
Democrats" because it "means the House has essentially given up on a
raft of changes to Medicare that had been a priority" for them,
according to CQ Today.
Senate Republicans had threatened a filibuster as a
way to force a Medicare package that would be supported by the White
House, conservative Republicans and private health firms, CQ Today
reports.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Thursday said
the new legislation would not include any cuts to Medicare Advantage
plans.
Previously, Baucus had said that Medicare
legislation would include MA plan cuts. The Bush administration has
threatened to veto any legislation containing cuts to MA plans
(Armstrong, CQ Today, 12/13).
Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa) on Thursday said Republicans would not accept any Medicare
package that contains new policy, only fixes to "present policy."
Grassley said he and Baucus earlier in the week
agreed to a "pretty slimmed down" package (CongressDaily, 12/14). Baucus
said, "It's designed to pass ... and be signed by the president."
Prospects
In addition to stopping the Medicare physician fee
cut, the Senate bill could include a small increase to physician
payments or none at all, according to CQ Today (CQ Today, 12/13).
House Republicans have been pushing for extensions
to rural and low-income subsidies, transitional Medicaid assistance and
payments for rehabilitative services. It is unclear if the legislation
will contain a provision to mandate electronic prescriptions for
Medicare, according to CongressDaily (CongressDaily, 12/14).
The legislation also likely would extend SCHIP
through Sept. 30, 2009. Congress on Thursday approved a continuing
resolution that would extend funding for SCHIP program through Dec. 21.
The CR that currently is funding the program expired on Friday (CongressDaily,
12/13).
The cost of the measure would be offset by taking
money from a "stabilization fund" that is meant to pay private insurers
for offering new services to beneficiaries in areas with few Medicare
services. It also would draw money from MA payments to hospitals that
provide teaching programs.
"It's my understanding that the double-dipping in
medical education is the only thing the president will approve
(directly) out of Medicare Advantage," Grassley said (CQ Today, 12/13).
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Usually the proposed cuts are just pushed ahead but
this year looks different - although Washington stockings are getting
filled