Washington Highlights: May 2, 2008
Senate Debates Medicaid Moratorium
Contents
Prior Issues
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) April 29 requested unanimous
consent for a floor vote on House-passed legislation (H.R.
5613) to delay implementation of several Medicaid regulations,
including the GME proposed rule and IGT final rule [see Washington
Highlights, April 25]. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) objected,
thereby blocking consideration of the bill.
According to Sen. Coburn, "These rules will make a difference"
in addressing Medicaid fraud and abuse. He suggested that the Senate
"ought to negotiate" with the administration to "fix"
problems with the regulations "rather than saying you are not
going to do any of it." In his floor remarks, Majority Leader
Reid stated that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) did
not recommend the regulatory changes as a way to reduce Medicaid
fraud and abuse. While he assured his commitment "to ferreting
out any fraud and abuse that may exist in the Medicaid program,"
the Majority Leader advised that the regulations were "clearly
not the way to accomplish this end."
Information:
Christiane Mitchell, Director, Federal Affairs
AAMC Government Relations
cmitchell@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
Congress Clears Genetics Bill for President
More than a decade after it originally was introduced, Congress
this week cleared the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
(GINA, H.R.
493) for the White House. The House May 1 approved, 414-1,
the measure, which had been amended and approved unanimously
by the Senate April 24. The President is expected to sign the bill.
GINA seeks to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information
with respect to health insurance and employment. In an April 16
letter to the Senate, AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D.,
noted that without federal legal protections against such discrimination,
"individuals may refuse effective genetic tests or opt out
of clinical trials" [see Washington
Highlights,
April 18].
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
HHS Extends Comment Period for HPSA/MUP Designation
Rule
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended
to May 29 the public comment period for a new
proposed rule that changes the methodology for designating federal
health professions shortage and medically underserved areas. HHS
proposed the rule Feb. 29 and originally provided a 60-day period
for written comments. In response to requests for an extension,
HHS pushed back the deadline an additional 30 days.
The notice
of proposed rulemaking, "Designation of Medically Underserved
Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas; Proposed Rule"
(73 FR 11232), revises and consolidates the criteria for designating
medically underserved populations (MUPs) and health professional
shortage areas (HPSAs) into a single new methodology called the
Index of Primary Care Underservice.
According to an HHS press release, the revisions are intended to:
- create a simpler system for those who seek designation by
consolidating the two existing procedures and their sets of
criteria;
- incorporate better measures of health status and access;
- improve identification of new, currently undesignated areas
of need and currently designated areas no longer in need; and
- minimize unnecessary disruption.
Currently, the MUP and HPSA designations are used to determine
site eligibility for 30 or more federal programs, including a number
of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII
grants, the National Health Service Corps, Center for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Clinics, and J-1 visa waivers
for international medical graduates (such as the Conrad State 30).
Additional information and HHS clarification of the proposed rule
is available on the HRSA
website. The AAMC is reviewing the proposed rule.
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
Rajeev Sabharwal, Senior Research Associate
AAMC Medical School Affairs
rsabharwal@aamc.org
(202) 828-0979
HHS Advisory Committee Issues Report on Genetic
Testing Oversight
The Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society
(SACGHS) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) April
30 issued its final report
on genetic testing oversight. HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt charged
the committee wi th the task in March 2007, and the committee chose
to examine federal, state, and private-sector activities in the
field.
In its report, the committee recommends enhancements in five areas:
- Regulations on clinical laboratory quality;
- The clinical validity of and appropriate use of genetic tests;
- Transparency of clinical testing;
- Gaps in the knowledge of the usefulness and impact of genetic
tests; and
- Education, training, and other tools for health professionals,
the public health community, patients and consumers to interpret
and communicate genetic test results.
The report also urges greater coordination across agencies and
between public and private sector oversight activities. Further,
the committee notes the increasing difficultly in distinguishing
between genetic and other complex laboratory tests, and therefore
applies several of its recommendations to lab tests generally.
Information:
Stephen Heinig, Lead Science Policy Analyst
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
sheinig@aamc.org
(202) 828-0488
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