November 30, 2001

New Medicare Regulatory and Contracting Reform Bill Introduced

Senate Finance Committee members John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced the "Medicare Appeals, Regulatory, and Contracting Improvement Act of 2001 ("MARCIA"). The bipartisan Medicare regulatory and contracting reform bill is similar to those already approved by the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees H.R. 2768 (MRCRA) and H.R. 3046 (Medicare RACER). The bill's cosponsors include Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).

In March 2001, Senator Murkowski sponsored the "Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act" (MERFA) (S.452), the predecessor to the three current regulatory reform bills. Senator Kerry was a cosponsor. The HHS Office of Inspector General had criticized MERFA for including provisions that might encourage fraud. The subsequent House and Senate regulatory reform bills incorporated language that attempted to allay those concerns. A combined version of the House bills is expected to go the House floor the week of Dec. 3.

Information: Chris Mitchell, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0526.