Congress Considering Several Bills that Would Expand Medicare-Eligible Providers and Make Other Changes to Coverage of Services 
 

 

 

On Feb. 25, President Obama joined Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders for a bipartisan summit on healthcare reform. Lawmakers used the televised summit as an opportunity to openly discuss specific provisions of reform legislation and the components of the President’s proposal. In the wake of last week’s summit, President Obama announced on Wednesday a package of modifications to the Senate version of healthcare reform. These changes incorporate several Republican-backed proposals dealing with medical malpractice reform, the types of insurance that may be sold in the health insurance exchange, and cost containment measures. The next step will be for the House to approve the healthcare reform bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve; then, both chambers will consider President Obama’s package of modifications. In the Senate, these changes may be passed under a procedure known as budget reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority vote (51 vs. 60 votes). For a helpful explanation of the reconciliation process, see this resource from the Alliance for Health Reform.

 

Despite the emergence of this strategy, several obstacles remain. Some House Democrats have said they cannot vote for the Senate-passed healthcare bill until they receive some kind of guarantee from the Senate that it will act quickly to pass the package of changes under the reconciliation process. Moreover, although most Senate Democrats have been publicly supportive of the process, it is still unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can actually muster the 51 votes needed. 

 

To keep the pressure on Congress to enact healthcare reform, FamiliesUSA has set up a website where  individuals can share their personal stories about rising premiums, denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and other difficulties with the healthcare system. Visit their website to share your story today.

 

The National Council continues to work to keep you updated on healthcare reform. The slides and recording from yesterday’s Healthcare Reform Update webinar are available on our website. The next webinar in the series will take place on Mar. 30th at 2pm eastern time. Click here for online registration, and stay tuned to the Public Policy Update for the latest news on healthcare reform.

 

 

 

After approving an initial jobs creation bill last month, the Senate has moved on to consideration of a second measure, already passed by the House, which will include extensions of many tax relief and other fiscal assistance programs set to expire. Included in an amendment to the bill, Section 232 extends for six months the increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), which has provided crucial support for states’ Medicaid programs at a time when high unemployment is placing increased burdens on the public healthcare safety net. The Senate is moving quickly on its jobs creation agenda, but it is uncertain what provisions will make it into the final version of the legislation. If you haven’t already done so, please reach out to your Senators today and urge them to enact the FMAP extension! For background information on the FMAP increase that was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and to see the letters the National Council has signed in support of the FMAP extension, visit the Economic Recovery page of our website.

 

 

 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced on Feb. 26th that twelve states will receive federal matching funds for the state planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Under ARRA, states may receive matching funds of 90% after receiving approval from CMS for their implementation planning proposals. These federal matching funds are separate from the actual EHR incentive payments that will be made to providers under the incentive program. The twelve states are: Alabama ($269,000); Arkansas ($815,000); Arizona ($2.89 million); Florida ($1.69 million); Illinois ($2.18 million); Kansas ($1.70 million); Maine ($1.40 million); Michigan ($1.52 million); Nebraska ($894,000); Oklahoma ($587,000); Vermont ($294,000); and Virginia ($1.66 million). CMS will continue to award matching funds to additional states on a rolling basis. Press releases for each state can be found on the CMS website.

 

 

 

The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force, of which the National Council is a member, has announced it will host a conference call for grassroots advocates highlighting proposed cuts to Section 811 in the FY 2011 budget and critical Section 811 legislation which must be enacted to reinvigorate the program.  The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) FY 2011 Budget proposal eliminates all funding for new permanent supportive housing units financed through the Section 811 program until the new legislation is enacted. We need your help to advocate with Congress to restore these cuts. Currently, critical Section 811 legislation is pending in the Senate and has already passed the House with strong bipartisan support.  The call will focus on strategies and information you can use to engage your Senator to sign on as a cosponsor to S.1481 and protect the Section 811 program.

 

Please join this call on Wednesday, March 10 at 1:00 PM (EST) to learn how to engage your Senators to cosponsor this important legislation.

 

Conference toll free call in number: 866-266-3378

Pass code:  8224620005#

 

 

 

Following President Obama’s  budget requests for Fiscal Year 2011, which include several increases for substance abuse treatment services, national advocates have made their “field request” for the FY 2011 budget, detailing our request for additional funding for key substance use prevention and treatment services:

For additional information on the proposed appropriations levels for substance use and addictions programs, see our latest issue of Addictions News Now.

 

 

 

As introduced by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), The Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2009 (H.R. 1693/S. 671) would expand the list of covered providers under Medicare. This bill would provide for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare Part B. H.R. 1693 and S. 671 have been referred to the committees of jurisdiction in both the House and Senate. The National Council supports this legislation and has sent letters of support to Sen. Lincoln and Rep. Gordon.

 

In more recent news, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act (S.3028), which would eliminate the lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospitalization days under Medicare. Currently, Medicare beneficiaries are limited to 190 days of psychiatric hospitalization over their lifetime. No similar limit exists on medical/surgical hospitalization. 

 

The National Council also supports improving coverage of community-based services under Medicare Part B, a proposal included in the Medicare Mental Health Modernization bill (H.R. 1663) introduced in the 110th Congress. This legislation has not been reintroduced in the current Congress.