Slow Progress on Health Care Legislation Amid Presidential Campaigns
In Brief: Congress recently
addressed the following legislation that could have an impact on the practice of
medicine if enacted. However, it is important to note that, with Senator John
McCain winning the GOP nomination for president, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are
currently focusing on identifying a Democratic presidential candidate as well as
preparing for the general election in November.
US House and Senate Committees approve budget resolutions
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Both chambers approved their respective fiscal year
(FY) 2009 budget resolutions along party lines that reject the president’s
proposed Medicare and Medicaid cuts, as outlined in his FY 2009 budget
proposal released in early February.
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Both budgets moderately increase discretionary,
non-defense spending from last year’s levels. The House budget contains
reconciliation instructions to the Ways and Means Committee to save $750
million over five years. Such reconciliation legislation will likely be used
to advance a Medicare physician payment bill this year, as reconciliation
legislation requires the support of only a simple majority to pass. The
Senate budget does not contain reconciliation instructions. The budgets also
contain several budget-neutral “reserve funds” to be used for various
spending priorities such as a children’s health, moratoria on several
pending Medicaid regulations, and the adoption of electronic prescribing.
Although initially unfunded, these “set-asides” allow either spending cuts
or increased revenues (taxes) to pay for these priorities.
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The two budgets, which are nonbinding blueprints for
the annual appropriations process, will be sent next to a conference
committee to be reconciled. The budgets do not have to be signed by the
president once finalized.
US House Energy and Commerce Committee approves TBI legislation
The committee recently approved legislation that would
reauthorize research and grants to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI) and renew
the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, which allows the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to provide state grants for brain injury patients to enter
treatment and rehabilitation programs.
Other key provisions:
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The bill would also reauthorize the programs that
allow CDC to provide state grants for brain injury patients to enter
treatment and rehabilitation programs. It would also require CDC to monitor
brain injury incidents and create a reporting system to track the condition.
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The bill directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
to conduct new research on the incidence, prevalence, and treatment of TBI.
It also requires the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to
contribute to a report on soldiers who have TBIs.
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The bill would also authorize a study on improving
access to care for veterans with TBI. The Senate passed its companion bill,
S. 793, on December 11.
US Senate passes bill to increase NIH budget
US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passes the STOP
Stroke Act
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The Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act of
2007 (STOP Stroke Act) will help ensure that more Americans know the risk
factors and warning signs of a stroke and that patients receive the quickest
and most effective treatment and rehabilitation possible. The bill has now
progressed further in this Congress than ever before, and the Academy will
continue to advocate for passage in the full Senate.
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The bill would authorize the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, through the CDC, to enhance the development and collection
of data related to the care of acute stroke patients.
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The bill would also authorize federal funding for the
development of statewide systems for stroke care that would rely on
information-sharing among agencies and individuals involved in the study and
provision of stroke care.
For more information on these or other legislative issues,
please contact Suzanne Butler, JD, manager of legislative affairs, at
312-464-9700. | |
