Washington Highlights: June 29,
2007
AAMC Joins Effort to Support House Labor-HHS Spending
Bill
Contents
Prior Issues
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The AAMC joined with nearly 1,000 groups representing health, health
and biomedical research, education, training, disability, public
aging and child welfare organizations, elected officials, and labor
unions in a June 28 letter
to all members of the House of Representatives urging them to vote
in favor of the FY 2008 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill
when it is debated on the House floor.
The letter, organized by the Coalition for Health Funding (of which
the AAMC is a member) and the Committee on Education Funding, notes
the bill is a "fiscally responsible effort to turn around the
steady divestment in some of the most important domestic programs
Congress funds deserves your strong support."
Urging AAMC members to support the bill, AAMC President Darrell
Kirch, M.D., stated, "While none of us is pleased to be confronted
with the current situation and the massive structural federal deficit
underlying it, I believe it is imperative that we focus on getting
the FY 2008 Labor-HHS bill completed."
The House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the bill
the week of July 9, with floor consideration the following week.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
AAMC Submits Comments on Medicaid GME Proposed
Rule
In a June 22 comment letter,
the AAMC urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
to rescind a May 23 proposed rule that would eliminate nearly two
billion dollars in federal matching payments for Medicaid graduate
medical education (GME). Many other commenters echoed the AAMC request,
including other national associations, teaching hospitals, medical
schools, and the National Association of State Medicaid Directors.
Sixty-six physician specialty organizations also signed a group
letter to CMS urging a withdrawal of the proposed rule.
Pursuant to the one-year legislated moratorium contained in the
FY 2007 Emergency Supplemental (Pub.
Law 110-28), CMS cannot publish a final rule until May, 2008
[see Washington Highlights,
May 25].
CMS asserts in the proposed rule that the Agency is precluded from
making federal match payments for GME because GME payments are not
specifically authorized under the Medicaid statute. The AAMC's comment
letter contains a lengthy legal memorandum enumerating the flaws
in CMS's legal arguments and arguing that GME payments are permitted
under the Medicaid statue.
In addition to noting that the proposed rule represents a major
and abrupt reversal of long-standing Medicaid policy, the letter
states that "[c]uts of this magnitude would jeopardize the
financial condition of many teaching safety net hospitals. The cuts
would not only erode critical financial resources that support GME
programs, but they would likely also affect other services offered
to Medicaid and other patients by reducing teaching hospitals' total
financial resources. Such a result is not in the best interests
of the Medicaid program, its beneficiaries, other patients and the
nation's health care system."
Information:
Karen Fisher, Sr. Director, Health Care Affairs
AAMC Health Care Affairs
kfisher@aamc.org
(202) 862-6140
Congress Passes Temporary HEA Extension
The Senate June 27 and the House June 28 passed the "First
Higher Education Extension Act of 2007" (S.
1704) to extend temporarily the authority of the Higher Education
Act (HEA) through July 31. The bill replaces the original House
passed version (H.R.
2559), which would have extended the programs through Oct. 31
[see Washington
Highlights, June 15].
The last HEA reauthorization expired on Sept. 30, 2003; since then,
several extensions have been enacted, making no policy changes but
allowing uninterrupted administration of the programs. The most
recent extension is scheduled to expire June 30.
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
Senate Panel Approves NSF Funding Increase
The Senate Appropriations Committee June 28 approved an FY 2008
spending bill providing $6.553 billion for the National Science
Foundation (NSF). The mark constitutes a $637.4 million (10.8 percent)
increase over FY 2007. Within the NSF total, the Senate bill provides
$5.156 billion for Research and Related Activities (R&RA), an
increase of $391 million (8.2 percent) over FY 2007.
The House Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee
approved its version of the bill June 11 [see Washington
Highlights, June 15]. The House bill provides $6.509 billion
for NSF and $5.140 billion for R&RA.
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
On the Hill...
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (R) June 22 appointed Republican
John Barrasso, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, to succeed the late
Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) who died earlier this month. Dr. Barrasso
will serve until January 2009 and plans to run in a November 2008
special election that will decide who finishes the remainder of
Thomas's term.
The GOP also will maintain control of the congressional district
left vacant after the death of Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.). The
July 17 special election features a match-up of two Republicans:
former state Sen. Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun, M.D., a family physician.
Democratic state Rep. Laura Richardson has all but secured the
seat of the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.), after
leading the 17-candidate special-election primary with 37.8 percent
of the vote. Richardson will face GOP nominee John M. Kanaley in
an Aug. 21 runoff election. Kanaley garnered 7.6 percent of the
primary vote.
Effective July 1, 2007, Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) resigned from
the House of Representatives to serve as the next Chancellor of
the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Rep. Meehan served as the
representative of Massachusett's 5th district for 15 years. An Oct.
16 special election will determine his successor.
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