Home Health Dodges A Bullet In Physician Fix Bill, USA

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Also Included In: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 30 Jul 2006 - 9:00 PDT

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Medicare home health providers dodged a bullet this week. A provision that would have extended the home health freeze through 2009 was struck from a draft physician-fix bill sponsored by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX).

Provisions that would have cut hospital and skilled nursing payments were also struck from the draft bill. The Burgess bill would help physicians by "fixing" the recurring physician Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) problem, which is a planned, annual reduction that will take effect on January 1, unless Congress enacts a fix. The reduction is expected to be about five percent.

Burgess estimates that the cost of the fix is about $218 billion, which puts provider reductions on the table as partial offsets. A freeze on the home health update was included in a draft of the Burgess bill.

Congress will undoubtedly address the SGR issue but probably not until a post-election lame duck session in November and December. While the home health update freeze was removed from the Burgess bill, it will be lurking out there in the months ahead as Congress considers pay-for's to offset the SGR fix. At the same time, there is very little desire on the part of Members of Congress to freeze home health reimbursement.

Homecare providers should take advantage of this reluctance and use the upcoming August recess to meet with their U.S. Senators and Representatives, attend their town hall meetings, and take Members of Congress along on home health visits so that they can see first-hand the value of homecare.

American Association for Homecare
625 Slaters Lane
Suite 200
Alexandria
VA 22314
USA
(703) 836-6263
http://www.aahomecare.org

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