Sen. Reid Fast-Tracks Medicaid Bill; CMS Official Says Bush Administration 'Willing To Talk'

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 28 Apr 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday invoked a procedure that will allow a House-approved Medicaid bill (HR 5613) to bypass the Senate Finance Committee and be considered on the Senate floor as soon as next week, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bill aims to prevent seven new Medicaid regulations from taking effect until April 1, 2009.

Reid spokesperson Jim Manley said the senator is discussing how to proceed on the bill with Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Meanwhile, some Republicans are circulating a letter by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that urges senators to reject the House bill, the Journal reports (Zhang, Wall Street Journal, 4/25).

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; reduce federal Medicaid reimbursement for students at teaching hospitals; and limit taxes some states charge health providers (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/24).

According to an unnamed congressional aide, if the Senate Republican leadership's letter receives enough signatures to signal that HR 5613 does not have enough support in the chamber to override a veto, the Bush administration might offer a limited moratorium on some of the rule changes, CQ HealthBeat reports. Kerry Weems, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on Thursday said the Bush administration might be willing to discuss changes to individual regulations, but he would not say which rules the administration would be willing to change (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 4/24).

"We'll talk about any of them," Weems said adding, "We're always willing to talk." However, Weems also "went on the offensive" when discussing the new regulations, CongressDaily reports. He said, "If you really are serious about good fiscal policy, you've got to draw the line somewhere. These regulations draw that line" (Johnson, CongressDaily, 4/25).

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