House Democrats Schedule Vote On Medicaid Bill Requiring Two-Thirds Vote For Passage

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 23 Apr 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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House Democratic leaders have scheduled a vote Tuesday on a bill (HR 5613) aimed at blocking seven new Medicaid regulations for one year under a "suspension of the rules," which prohibits amendments and requires a two-thirds vote for passage, CQ Today reports. According to CQ Today, the scheduled vote signals House leaders' confidence in a "strong show of bipartisan support for the bill." Despite a veto threat from the Bush administration, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he was not aware of any White House effort to lobby House Republicans to oppose the measure. Boehner said he expects the bill to pass. Senate action on the measure is "far from certain," even if the bill passes with a strong majority, CQ Today reports (Armstrong, CQ Today, 4/21).

The bill seeks to delay Medicaid regulations that could reduce health care coverage for pregnant women, low-income children, nursing home residents and other groups. The seven rule changes at issue aim to restrict services covered by some states' case management plans; limit Medicaid reimbursement to public hospitals; narrow federal Medicaid reimbursement eligibility for outpatient hospital services; bar federal reimbursement for transportation to school and school-based care for Medicaid-eligible children; restrict the types of "rehabilitative" services covered by federal funding; cut federal Medicaid reimbursement for students at teaching hospitals; and limit taxes some states charge health providers.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt told lawmakers that HR 5613 "puts billions of dollars of federal funds at risk and may turn back progress that has already been made to stop abusive state practices" (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/17). Supporters of HR 5613 have said that the new regulations would unfairly take away Medicaid funds from states and that there is little justifiable basis for the Bush administration to implement them (CQ Today, 4/21).

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