Medicare Conferees Agree
to Prescription Drug Discount Card, Other Items
September 12, 2003 - The House and Senate Medicare
conference committee met Sept. 9 and agreed upon hundreds
of pages of the less controversial provisions
in the House and Senate versions of the prescription drug
legislation. By voice vote, the conference agreed to items
discussed by staff over the August recess, including a prescription
drug discount card program, low-income assistance for drug
purchases, rural health care provisions, and new preventive
benefits for seniors. The conferees are expected next to tackle
provider payment issues, including the hospital inpatient
update and physician payments.
In a release issued by the House Ways and Means Committee,
Committee Chairman and Medicare conference Chair Bill Thomas
(R-Calif.) stated, "we've made headway on scores of provisions
in eight titles, and I am pleased to announce nearly one-third
of the Medicare bill has been resolved."
At this third public meeting, the conferees approved a four-page
list of provisions. Provisions of interest to providers are
as follows:
- More frequent updating of weights used for the hospital
market basket;
- Changes to the wage index classification process;
- Improvement of rates under the physician fee schedule
for mammography services provide in hospital outpatient
departments;
- Coverage for early detection screenings of cardiovascular
disease.
- Critical access hospital improvements;
- The creation of a structure to more widely encourage
the use of electronic prescribing;
- Extending by 2 years the current hold harmless for
hospital outpatient services performed at small rural
hospitals; and
- Refining the formula by which drug get reimbursed in
the outpatient settings.
Lynne Davis Boyle, Assistant Vice President
AAMC Government Relations
ldavisboyle@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
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