Senators Weigh In On IME,
Medicaid DSH
August 15, 2003 - 40 Senators Aug. 1 sent a letter
to the House and Senate Medicare conferees urging them to
improve upon the Senate's IME provisions and restore the Medicare
Indirect Medical Education (IME) payment to 6.5 percent for
10 years. The letter, circulated by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison
(R-Texas) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), expresses concern
that the unique services teaching hospitals provide will "be
compromised if the IME cuts are not reversed." Rep. Chris
Shays (R-Conn.) is circulating a similar letter for signatures
among House Republicans. Currently, the letter has approximately
30 signatures. The letter will be sent to the House Medicare
conferees when Congress returns in September. In addition,
24 Democrat, 12 Republican, and one Independent Senator signed
a July 31 bipartisan letter to the House and Senate conferees
encouraging inclusion of the H.R.
1 Medicaid Disproportionate share Hospital (DSH) provisions
that would partially restore BBA-scheduled cuts to state allotments.
The letter also asks the conferees to include the S. 1 Medicaid
DSH provisions for "low DSH" states. A similar House
Republicans letter is being circulated by Reps. Ed Whitfield
(R-Ky.) and Heather Wilson (R-N.M.).
The following Senators joined Senators Hutchison and Kennedy
in signing the IME letter: Lamar
Alexander (R-Tenn.), George Allen (R-Va.), Evan Bayh (D-Ind.),
Joe Biden (D-Del.), Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.),
Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Susan
Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Jon Corzine (D-N.J.),
Mark Dayton (D-Minn.), Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.),
John Edwards (D-N.C.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), Dianne Feinstein
(D-Calif.), Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.),
John Kerry (D-Mass.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.),
Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), John McCain
(R-Ariz.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Zell Miller (D-Ga.),
Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.),
Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Charles Schumer
(D-N.Y.), Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.),
Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) Jim Talent (D-Mo.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
In addition, Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) sent a separate
letter to conferees asking that the IME payment be restored
to 6.5 percent "for several years."
The Medicaid DSH letter, circulated by Sens. Lincoln Chafee
(R-R.I.), Bob Graham (D-Fla.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), and
Michael Enzi (R-Wy.), states that "it is imperative"
the DSH provisions are included in the conference report.
Also signing the letter were Sens.: Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii),
Allen, Boxer, Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), Cantwell, Clinton, Cornyn,
Corzine, DeWine, Durbin, Edwards, Feingold, Feinstein, Jim
Jeffords (I-Vt.), Johnson, Kennedy, Kerry, Kohl, Landrieu,
Leahy, Joe Lieberman (D-Conn), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), McCain,
Mikulski, Murray, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Schumer,
Smith, Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Stabenow, Talent, and John
Warner (R-Va.).
Information:
Lynne Davis Boyle, Assistant Vice President
AAMC Government Relations
ldavisboyle@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
Christiane Mitchell, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
cmitchell@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
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