Senate Democrats Attach Medicaid Bill Provisions To War Spending Measure

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Public Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 08 May 2008 - 6:00 PST

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Senate Democrats have added language to a "must-pass" supplemental war spending measure that would prevent seven new Medicaid regulations from taking effect until April 1, 2009, CQ Today reports. This same language is included in a Medicaid bill (HR 5613) approved by the House. Although a majority of House Republicans voted for the Medicaid bill in the House, Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), are filibustering the legislation.

According to CQ Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) could file a cloture petition to end the filibuster, but such a move would require floor time for extra cloture votes. Republicans could offer an amendment to remove the Medicaid language from the war funding bill or stall the entire measure, but such moves likely would be unsuccessful, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/6).

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. HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has said that if Congress allows the rules on reimbursement to public hospitals and the reduction of reimbursement to teaching hospitals, the Bush administration would be willing to postpone implementation of the other five rules (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/30).

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