3/27/14 H.R. 4302 passes House - prevents Medicare cut, delays ICD-10 for a year

[Crashland]

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) President Tom Schatz released a statement expressing his disappointment in the passage by voice vote of H.R. 4302, a 12-month Medicare sustainable growth rate “doc fix” that will prevent a 24 percent reduction in Medicare physician reimbursement for another year. CCAGW specifically objected to a provision in the legislation that extends the delay of both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) two-midnight rule and the suspension of recovery audit contractor (RAC) audits until March 31, 2015. The year-long delay through September 30, 2014 had already cost taxpayers as much as $4 billion.

More: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140327006451/en/Congress-Pushes-SGR-%E2%80%9CDoc-Fix%E2%80%9D-House-Strong#.UzSjhoXCMTs


AMA strongly criticized the bill's "temporary patch" to avoid a nearly 24 percent physician payment cut, arguing that "full repeal of the sustainable growth rate formula is the answer to strengthening the Medicare program, not another patch." In their statement, AHIMA called on members and other stakeholders to contact their representatives in Congress and ask them to take the ICD-10 provision out of the SGR bill, claiming that "another delay in ICD-10 will cost the industry money and wasted time implementing the new code set."


More: http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/House-Passes-SGR-Bill-Extending-ICD-10-Compliance-Date-by-One-Year-47598-1.html


I work in healthcare practice management IT solutions and I can tell you everyone in the industry is going crazy about this because of the ICD-10 delay. ICD-10 readiness has been a massive project and health care administrators across the board have already spent LOTS of money and resources on it to be prepared for the October 1 deadline, which was already the result of a previous delay. If this passes the Senate and becomes law it will send shockwaves...

[Crashland]

Bump

The Senate is currently debating this bill -- it is expected to pass

LIVE: http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4488607/senate-debate-medicare-payments-doctors

[CPUd]

Washington (CNN) – What happened in the House Thursday was something out of an episode of the television series "House of Cards," a show about intrigue and sneaky deals in the nation's capital.

Facing defeat on a bill to head off major cuts to physicians who treat Medicare patients, House GOP leaders abruptly pulled it from the floor Thursday morning. They called a recess, sending most members back to their offices to await word on the schedule for the day.

Republican and Democratic leaders huddled behind closed doors. Then, a surprise move. While people were still in their offices, the same bill was brought up and quickly passed by a voice vote. Members were caught off guard when they showed up on the House floor and learned the bill had passed.

Both parties were in cahoots on the unusual legislative maneuver circumventing an actual roll call vote on the measure.

...




http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/27/real-life-house-of-cards-in-house-of-representatives

[Occam's Banana]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/27/real-life-house-of-cards-in-house-of-representatives

Somebody remind me - what's so great about democracy, again?

[Crashland]

Well, it passed the Senate...

On a 64-35 vote Monday, the Senate cleared the House-passed 13-month “doc fix.” In order to get agreement to hold the vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) held final passage to a 60-vote threshold.

“While I’m pleased with this temporary patch, I hope it’s our last patch,” Reid said ahead of the vote.

GOP Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Susan Collins (Maine), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), John Cornyn (Texas), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), David Vitter (La.), John Hoeven (N.D.) and Roger Wicker (Miss.) were among those voting for the bill.

Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) voted against the fix.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/202235-senate-sends-doc-fix-to-obama



Here's the video for the "voice vote" that passed the House. It's a total sham, you can hear there was clearly NOT a 2/3 majority in the affirmative to suspend the rules yet the chair muscled it through.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4488317/hr-4302-voice-vote

[ClydeCoulter]

Crony Congressionalism.

[specsaregood]

Washington (CNN) – What happened in the House Thursday was something out of an episode of the television series "House of Cards," a show about intrigue and sneaky deals in the nation's capital.

Facing defeat on a bill to head off major cuts to physicians who treat Medicare patients, House GOP leaders abruptly pulled it from the floor Thursday morning. They called a recess, sending most members back to their offices to await word on the schedule for the day.

Republican and Democratic leaders huddled behind closed doors. Then, a surprise move. While people were still in their offices, the same bill was brought up and quickly passed by a voice vote. Members were caught off guard when they showed up on the House floor and learned the bill had passed.

Both parties were in cahoots on the unusual legislative maneuver circumventing an actual roll call vote on the measure.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/27/real-life-house-of-cards-in-house-of-representatives

While claiming it was out of house of cards and that members were "caught off guard" sounds convicing, I'm sure that the truth of the matter is those members were more than happy to have it passed by voice vote while they were in their office so that it could pass without having to go on record. In cahoots, indeed.