MediFair Act of 2009

Medicare/Part B Premium Hold Harmless. H.R. 3631: Provisions extending the current "hold harmless" policy to all Medicare enrollees to ensure 2010 Part B monthly premiums remain at the current rate. Comprehensive Health Care Reform. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590: provisions related to reducing Medicare Advantage plan payments, reducing the coverage gap in Part D, requiring wealthier Medicare beneficiaries to pay a greater share of the cost of their premiums under Medicare Parts B and D, permitting the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices for the Part D program, simplifying plan benefit designs under Part C, expanding benefits for low-income beneficiaries under the Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), improving the process for reassigning LIS beneficiaries to new plans, expanding coverage of prevention services establishing a Medicare Commission, providing expanded Medicaid coverage for home and community-based services, expanding Medicaid coverage of attendant and other home services and supports, establishing a new national insurance program for long-term supports and services, authorizing funding to provide language services to limited English proficiency beneficiaries, authorizing the collection of data regarding disparities in the provision of care, providing safeguards and subsidies to assure affordability of health coverage for seniors, preserving state benefit laws and requirements, reducing permitted age rating ratio for insurance premiums, inclusion of patient-centered quality reporting requirements for providers, creating new claims reviews processes and provider certification, requiring reporting by practitioners of gifts received from pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Medicare/Commission. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872: creating an independent commission authorized to establish Medicare payment and policy designed to reduce Medicare spending growth. Medicare/Prescription Drug Plan. S. 330, H.R. 684: authorizing the establishment of a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan; S. 266: authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Medicare/Part D Generics. S. 75: requiring the use of generics where available unless the brand name drug is determined to be medically necessary. Medicare/Part D cost-sharing. S. 1630: establishing limits on required beneficiary cost-sharing under Part D drug plans. Medicare/Part D dual eligibles. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, S. 1634: removing enrollment barriers for low-income beneficiaries and establishing a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan. Medicare/Combating Waste, Fraud, Abuse. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 27: relating to provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicare; H.R. 203: increasing civil and criminal penalties for acts involving fraud and abuse and increasing the surety bond amount for suppliers of durable medical equipment. Medicare/Therapy Caps. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590, H.R. 43, S. 46: repealing or extending exceptions to outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps. Medicare/Private Contracts. H.R. 164: prohibiting denial of Social Security benefits to persons who elect not to participate in Medicare. Medicare/Hearing Coverage. H.R. 504: authorizing coverage of hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under Medicare Part B. Medicare/Dental Coverage. H.R. 870: authorizing coverage under Part B for medically necessary dental procedures. Medicare/Rural Improvements. H.R. 902/S. 382: provision authorizing improvements to services provided to beneficiaries residing in rural areas. Medicare/Shingles Vaccine. H.R. 1038: extending Part B coverage to the shingles vaccine. Medicare/Home Health. H.R. 1094: authorizing home health care agencies to assign the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit under a Medicare home health plan of care for rehabilitation services. Medicare/Health Care Vouchers. H.R. 1118: authorizing Medicare-eligible seniors to elect to receive vouchers for a health savings account, premiums for a high deductible health insurance plan, or both, in lieu of regular Medicare benefits and suspending Medicare late enrollment penalties between ages 65 and 70. Medicare/Skilled Nursing Facilities. H.R. 1125, S. 647: provisions related to requiring the reporting of expenditures for nursing services at skilled nursing facilities and requiring disclosure of corporate ownership. Medicare/Prevention. H.R. 1213: provisions authorizing ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms to at-risk Medicare beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 75 without the requirement of a prior initial preventive physical examination; H.R. 1894, S. 769: expanding access to bone mass measurement benefits under Part B. Medicare/Part B Drug Payments. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590, H.R. 1392: relating to appropriate Part B payment amounts for drugs and biologicals. Medicare/Low Income Prescription Drug Benefits. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590, H.R. 1407, S. 534: authorizing a reduction in cost-sharing under Part D for non-institutionalized, full-benefit dual eligible individuals. Medicare/Disability Benefits. S. 700, H.R. 1708, H.R. 2881: phasing-out the 24-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits and eliminating the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions. Medicare/Prescription Drugs for kidney transplants. H.R. 1458, S. 565: provision related to continued coverage for immunosuppressive drugs furnished to beneficiaries that have received kidney transplants and whose entitlement to coverage would otherwise expire. Medicare/Intravenous Drugs. H.R. 1765, S.701: relating to the payment for intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases in a patient's home and for certain disposable pumps as durable medical equipment in place of non-disposable pumps. Medicare/Home Infusion Therapy. H.R. 574, S.254: extending Medicare coverage to home infusion therapy. Medicare/Physical Therapy Services. H.R. 1829: authorizing physical therapists to evaluate and treat Medicare beneficiaries without physician referral. Medicare/Part D Premiums. H.R. 1832: limiting Part D premium increases to no more than the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Medicare/Cancer Hospice and Palliative Care. H.R. 1844: provisions authorizing coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning, establishing a Medicare hospice care demonstration, and authorizing grant programs for cancer palliative care and symptom management, provider education, and related research. Medicare/Hospice and Advanced Care Planning. S. 1150, H.R. 2911: provisions related to changing hospice payments and providing advance care planning resources. Medicare/Physician-Manufacturer Transparency. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590, S. 301: increasing the transparency of the relationship between physicians and the manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, and medical supplies. Medicare/Care Coordination Services. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590, S. 1131, H.R. 2560: provisions establishing pilot care coordination programs. Medicaid/Home and Community-based Long Term Care. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590, S. 434, S.1257, H.R. 28552: provisions to remove barriers to providing home and community-based services including providing a state option to provide home and community-based services to individuals for whom such services are likely to prevent, delay, or decrease the likelihood of an individual's need for institutionalized care and authorizing the implementation of assistance grants for states electing to provide home and community-based services under Medicaid; provisions to provide a single point of entry to long term services; provisions to support nursing home diversion programs. Medicaid/Community-based Attendant Services and Supports. P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152, H.R. 4872, H.R. 3590, S. 683, H.R. 1670: authorizing coverage of community-based attendant services and supports under Medicaid, increasing funding and establishing a demonstration program for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. P.L. 110-275, P.L. 108-173: implementation of regulations and guidance relating to beneficiary eligibility, enrollment, and effectiveness of exceptions and appeals processes under Medicare Parts C and D.

Client expense: $350,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

HR 27 Medicare Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicare Program, and for other purposes; HR 43 and S 46, Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps; S 54 Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by establishing minimum nurse staffing ratios at certain Medicare providers, and for other purposes; HR 319 Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States the option of coverage of legal immigrants under the Medicaid Program and the State children's health insurance program (SCHIP); S 214 Children's Health Equity Technical Amendments Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to permit qualifying States to use their allotments under the SCHIP for any fiscal year for certain Medicaid expenditures; HR 362 and S 318 Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to health care under the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 465 a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States to ensure coverage without a 5-year delay of certain children and pregnant women under the Medicaid program and SCHIP; HR 487, a bill to waive the 35-mile requirement for designation of a critical access hospital under the Medicare program; HR 592 and S 264 E-Centives Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to encourage the use of certified health information technology by providers in the Medicaid Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes; HR 619 a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the exclusion from medical assistance under the Medicaid Program of items and services for patients in an institution for mental diseases; S 295 Medicare Quality and Payment Reform Act of 2009, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the quality and efficiency of the Medicare program through measurement of readmission rates and resource use and to develop a pilot program to provide episodic payments to organized groups of multispecialty and multilevel providers of services and suppliers for hospitalization episodes associated with select, high cost diagnoses; HR 668 and S 307 Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide flexibility in the manner in which beds are counted for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital under the Medicare program and to exempt from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation the number of beds provided for certain veterans; HR 902 and S. 382 MediFair Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the provision of items and services provided to Medicare beneficiaries residing in States with more cost-effective health care delivery systems; S 434 Empowered at Home Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes; S 438 Improved Medical Decision Incentive Act of 2009, a bill to provide for the voluntary development by States of qualifying best practices for health care and to encourage such voluntary development by amending titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide differential rates of payment favoring treatment provided consistent with qualifying best practices under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and for other purposes; HR 1117 Medically Fragile Children's Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to establish a State plan option under Medicaid to provide an all-inclusive program of care for children who are medically fragile or have one or more chronic conditions that impede their ability to function; HR 1188 and S 468 Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to emergency medical services and the quality and efficiency of care furnished in emergency departments of hospitals and critical access hospitals by establishing a bipartisan commission to examine factors that affect the effective delivery of such services, by providing for additional payments for certain physician services furnished in such emergency departments, and by establishing a CMS Working Group, and for other purposes; S 712 Rural Medicare Equity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 1776 Quality FIRST (From Incentives, Reporting, Standards, and Technology) Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the development of quality measures for inpatient hospital services, to implement a performance-based payment methodology for the provision of such services under the Medicare Program; Senator Schumer and Senator Roberts Letter eliminating IME Cuts CMS to withdraw the Capital IME cut that was included in last years Medicare IPPS rule; Letter to President Obama from Neal/ Tiberi on Capital IME Protect America's teaching hospitals asking him to withdraw a provision in the FY 2010 IPPS rule that would cut reimbursements to teaching hospitals. Letter to CMS asking to eliminate the state-specific budget neutrality policy for the rural and imputed rural floor indices in the upcoming FY2010 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule (IPPS); Working on legislation to amend the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor Program; S 852 a bill to apply an alternative payment amount under the Medicare program for certain graduate medical education programs established to train residents displaced by natural disasters; HR 2068 Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2009, a bill to improve the provision of telehealth services under the Medicare Program; HR 2094 Physician Training Promotion Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase the per resident payment floor for direct graduate medical education payments under the Medicare Program; HR 2124 Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to extend subsections (c) and(d) of section 114 of the Medicare, Medicaid, & SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-173) to provide for regulatory stability during the development of facility and patient criteria for long-term care hospitals under the Medicare program; HR 2204 Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide payment under part A of the Medicare Program on a reasonable cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by an anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payments are provided for anesthesia services furnished by anesthesiologist assistants and certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals; S 935 Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to extend subsections (c) and (d) of section 114 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-173) to provide for regulatory stability during the development of facility and patient criteria for long-term care hospitals under the Medicare program; HR 2443 Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to ambulance services under the Medicare Program; S 1079 Medicare Cost Contract Extension and Refinement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend reasonable cost contracts under the Medicare program; HR 2525 Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2009, a bill to require application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for each all-urban and rural State; HR 2534 Physician Pathology Services Continuity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under the Medicare Program; S 1108 Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2009, a bill to require application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for each all-urban and rural State; S 1110 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, making the Commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; S 1114 Medical Homes Act of 2009, a bill to establish a demonstration project to provide for patient-centered medical homes to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing medical assistance under the Medicaid program and child health assistance under the State Children's Health Insurance Program; Letters and further discussions to CMS, Physician Supervision for Outpatient Service, resend policy changes requiring direct physician supervision for all PSO therapeutic Outpatient Service provided in and on hospital campus under Medicare, and withdraw change to minimize legal risk for years 2001-2009; HR 2688 Empowered at Home Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid Program; HR 2692 and S 1171CAH Designation Waiver Authority Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to restore State authority to waive the 35-mile rule for designating critical access hospitals under the Medicare Program; HR 2718 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, making the Commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; S 1185 Medicare Financial Stability for Beneficiaries Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure that low-income beneficiaries have improved access to health care under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; S 1181 Healthy Living and Health Aging Demonstration Project Act of 2009, a bill to provide for a demonstration project to examine whether community-level public health interventions can result in lower rates of chronic disease for individuals entering the Medicare program; HR 2753 a bill to delay the implementation of new Medicare hospital geographic wage reclassification criteria until the Secretary of Health and Human Services issues a proposal to revise the hospital wage index classification system that addresses certain considerations; HR 2758 Medicare Specialty Care Improvement and Protection Act of 2009, a bill to amend part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to Medicare special needs plans and the alignment of Medicare and Medicaid for dually eligible individuals; HR 2773 Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to cover transitional care services to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of care under the Medicare Program; S 1218 Urban Medicare-Dependent Hospitals Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to urban Medicare-dependent hospitals; HR 2784 Partnership to Improve Seniors Access to Medicare Act, a bill to establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program; HR 2805 Ensuring Continuous Medicaid Coverage for Children Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require 12-month continuous coverage for children under Medicaid; HR 2844 Medicare Payment Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a value indexing mechanism for the physician work component of the Medicare physician fee schedule; HR 2859 Strengthening Medicaid for America's Children Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for application of an enhanced Federal matching rate for children under the Medicaid Program if certain conditions are met; S 1262 Medical Efficiency and Delivery Improvement of Care Act (MEDIC) of 2009, a bill to amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act and titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide additional resources for primary care services, to create new payment models for services under Medicare, to expand provision of non-institutionally-based long-term services, and for other purposes; S 1263 Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for advanced illness care management services for Medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes; HR 2919 Medicare Efficiency Incentive Act of 2009, a bill to amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare physician incentive payments for efficient areas; HR 2921a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an annual review by the MedPAC on geographic access to services; S 1279 TARP Recipient Ownership Trust Act of 2009, a bill to amend the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program; HR 2959 Accountable Care Promotion Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish an accountable care organization pilot program to reduce the growth of expenditures and improve health outcomes under the Medicare Program; S 1300 Community and Rural Medical Residency Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify intent regarding the counting of residents in a nonhospital setting under the Medicare program; S 1380 MedPAC Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the MedPAC, making the commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; H.R. 3138 Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, or medical supplies for which payment is made under Medicare, Medicaid, or SCHIP; HR 3141 Strengthening the Health Care Safety Net Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a DSH redistribution pool from unexpended Medicaid DSH allotments in order to increase Medicaid DSH allotments for low DSH States and to provide grants for health access networks serving the uninsured; H.R. 3152 Helping Seniors Choose their Medicare Drug Plan Act, a bill to amend titles XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure that low-income beneficiaries have improved access to prescription drugs under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; S. 1423 Medicaid Birth Center Reimbursement Act, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require coverage under the Medicaid Program for freestanding birth center services; S. 1427 Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital Quality Report Card Act of 2009, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative to report on health care quality in Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, and for other purposes; H.R. 3172 Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for advanced illness care management services for Medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes; H.R. 3184 Medicare Independent Living Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the in the home restriction for Medicare coverage of mobility devices for individuals with expected long-term needs; H.R. 3256 Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Extension Act of 2009, a bill to amend the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program; H.R. 3356 Medicare Beneficiary Freedom to Choose Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify the use of private contracts by Medicare beneficiaries for professional services and to allow individuals to choose to opt out of the Medicare part A benefits; H.R. 3361 Medicare Patient Safeguards Act of 2009, a bill to provide a process for public comment and Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee review of certain Medicare national coverage determinations, and for other purposes; HR 3369 and S.1521 Improve Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to require provider payments under Medicare and Medicaid to be made through direct deposit or electronic funds transfer (EFT) at insured depository institutions; S.1522 Outpatient Mental Health Modernization Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to stabilize and modernize the provision of partial hospitalization services under the Medicare program; H.R. 3374 Medicare and Medicaid Access Project through Information Technology (MAP IT) Act, a bill to provide for a demonstration project relating to the impact of health information technology on chronic disease management under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; H.R. 3422 Medicare Support for Rural Hospitals Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make temporary improvements to the Medicare inpatient payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; H.R. 3430 DSH Collaborative Care Network Pilot Program Act of 2009, a bill to establish a Medicare DSH pilot program under which participants shall establish collaborative care networks to reduce the use of emergency departments, inpatient and other expensive resources of hospitals and other providers and provide more comprehensive and coordinated care to low-income individuals, including those without health insurance coverage, and to establish a Collaborative Care Network Center; Neal Letter to Pelosi, Opposition to the Independent Medicare Advisory Council (IMAC) and MedPAC Reform Act (HR 2718, S1110, S 1380); HR 3556 NO TITLE, a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a self-referral disclosure protocol under the Medicare Program to enable health care providers of services and suppliers to disclose violations of section 1877 of the Social Security Act; S 1669 Equal Access to Medicare Options Act of 2009, a bill to provide all Medicare beneficiaries with the right to guaranteed issue of a Medicare supplemental policy; HR 3631 Medicare Premium Fairness Act, a bill to amend title XVIII to provide for the application of a consistent Medicare part B premium for all Medicare beneficiaries in a budget neutral manner for 2010; HR 3653 Medicare Card Security Act of 2009, a bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to prohibit the display of Social Security account numbers on Medicare cards; HR 3663 NO TITLE, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to delay the date on which the accreditation requirement under the Medicare Program applies to suppliers of durable medical equipment that are pharmacies; HR 3665 Ryan White Grantee Medicaid Payment Equity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for payment for Medicaid services furnished by Ryan White part C grantees under a cost-based prospective payment system; HR 3675 National Quality Cancer Care Demonstration Project Act of 2009, a bill to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of cancer care to Medicare beneficiaries by establishing a national demonstration project; HR 2962 Integrity in Medicare Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exclude certain advanced diagnostic imaging services from the in-office ancillary services exception to the prohibition on physician self-referral; Meeting with CMS re implementation of new requirements for insurance providers to report payment responsibility for Medicare Secondary Payer program; HR 3693 Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to modify Medicare physician reimbursement policies to ensure a future physician workforce; HR 3961Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reform the Medicare SGR payment system for physicians and to reinstitute and update the Pay-As-You-Go requirement of budget neutrality on new tax and mandatory spending legislation, enforced by the threat of annual, automatic sequestration; HR 4250 Medicaid DSH Integrity Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise regulations implementing the statutory reporting and auditing requirements for the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital ("DSH") payment program to be consistent with the scope of the statutory provisions and avoid substantive changes to preexisting DSH policy; S 1776 Medicare Physician Fairness Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the update under the Medicare physician fee schedule for years beginning with 2010 and to sunset the application of the sustainable growth rate formula, and for other purposes; discussion with the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of hospital concerns around development of requirements for meaningful use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for EHR development.

Medicare/Part B Premium Hold Harmless. H.R. 3631: Provisions extending the current "hold harmless" policy to all Medicare enrollees to ensure 2010 Part B monthly premiums remain at the current rate. Comprehensive Health Care Reform. H.R. 3590, H.R. 3962, H.R. 3200, S. 1679: provisions related to reducing Medicare Advantage plan payments, reducing the coverage gap in Part D, requiring wealthier Medicare beneficiaries to pay a greater share of the cost of their premiums under Medicare Parts B and D, permitting the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices for the Part D program, simplifying plan benefit designs under Part C, expanding benefits for low-income beneficiaries under the Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), improving the process for reassigning LIS beneficiaries to new plans, expanding coverage of prevention services establishing a Medicare Commission, providing expanded Medicaid coverage for home and community-based services, expanding Medicaid coverage of attendant and other home services and supports, establishing a new national insurance program for long-term supports and services, authorizing funding to provide language services to limited English proficiency beneficiaries, authorizing the collection of data regarding disparities in the provision of care, providing safeguards and subsidies to assure affordability of health coverage for seniors, preserving state benefit laws and requirements, reducing permitted age rating ratio for insurance premiums, inclusion of patient-centered quality reporting requirements for providers, creating new claims reviews processes and provider certification, requiring reporting by practitioners of gifts received from pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Medicare/Commission. S. 1110 and S. 1380: authorizing an enhanced MedPAC as an executive branch commission with authority to implement Medicare payment and policy designed to reduce Medicare spending growth. Medicare/Prescription Drug Plan. S. 330/H.R. 684: authorizing the establishment of a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan; S. 266: authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and to use the savings to reduce the coverage gap. Medicare/Part D Generics. S. 75: requiring the use of generics where available unless the brand name drug is determined to be medically necessary. Medicare/Part D cost-sharing. S. 1630: establishing limits on required beneficiary cost-sharing under Part D drug plans. Medicare/Part D dual eligibles. S. 1634: removing enrollment barriers for low-income beneficiaries and establishing a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan. Medicare/Combating Waste, Fraud, Abuse. H.R. 27: relating to additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicare; H.R. 203: increasing civil and criminal penalties for acts involving fraud and abuse and increasing the surety bond amount for suppliers of durable medical equipment. Medicare/Therapy Caps. H.R. 43/S. 46: repealing outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps. Medicare/Private Contracts. H.R. 164: prohibiting denial of Social Security benefits to persons who elect not to participate in Medicare. Medicare/Hearing Coverage. H.R. 504: authorizing coverage of hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under Medicare Part B. Medicare/Dental Coverage. H.R. 870: authoring coverage under Part B for medically necessary dental procedures. Medicare/Rural Improvements. H.R. 902/S. 382: provision authorizing improvements to services provided to beneficiaries residing in rural areas. Medicare/Shingles Vaccine. H.R. 1038: extending Part B coverage to the shingles vaccine. Medicare/Home Health. H.R. 1094: authorizing home health care agencies to assign the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit under a Medicare home health plan of care for rehabilitation services. Medicare/Health Care Vouchers. H.R. 1118: authorizing Medicare-eligible seniors to elect to receive vouchers for a health savings account, premiums for a high deductible health insurance plan, or both, in lieu of regular Medicare benefits and suspending Medicare late enrollment penalties between ages 65 and 70. Medicare/Skilled Nursing Facilities. H.R. 1125, S. 647: provisions related to requiring the reporting of expenditures for nursing services at skilled nursing facilities and requiring disclosure of corporate ownership. Medicare/Prevention. H.R. 1213: provisions authorizing ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms to at-risk Medicare beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 75 without the requirement of a prior initial preventive physical examination; H.R. 1894/S. 769: expanding access to bone mass measurement benefits under Part B. Medicare/Part B Drug Payments. H.R. 1392: relating to appropriate Part B payment amounts for drugs and biologicals. Medicare/Low Income Prescription Drug Benefits. H.R. 1407/S. 534: authorizing a reduction in cost-sharing under Part D for non-institutionalized, full-benefit dual eligible individuals. Medicare/Disability Benefits. S. 700/H.R. 1708, H.R. 2881: phasing-out the 24-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits and eliminating the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions. Medicare/Prescription Drugs for kidney transplants. H.R. 1458/S. 565: provision related to continued coverage for immunosuppressive drugs furnished beneficiaries that have received kidney transplants and whose entitlement to coverage would otherwise expire. Medicare/Intravenous Drugs. H.R. 1765/S.701: relating to the payment for intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases in a patient's home and for certain disposable pumps as durable medical equipment in place of non-disposable pumps. Medicare/Home Infusion Therapy. H.R. 574/S.254: extending Medicare coverage to home infusion therapy. Medicare/Physical Therapy Services. H.R. 1829: authorizing physical therapists to evaluate and treat Medicare beneficiaries without physician referral. Medicare/Part D Premiums. H.R. 1832: limiting Part D premium increases to no more than the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Medicare/Cancer Hospice and Palliative Care. H.R. 1844: provisions authorizing coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning, establishing a Medicare hospice care demonstration, and authorizing grant programs for cancer palliative care and symptom management, provider education, and related research. Medicare/Hospice and Advanced Care Planning. S. 1150, H.R. 2911: provisions related to changing hospice payments and providing advance care planning resources. Medicare/Physician-Manufacturer Transparency. S. 301: increasing the transparency of the relationship between physicians and the manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, and medical supplies. Medicare/Care Coordination Services. S. 1131, H.R. 2560: provisions establishing pilot care coordination program.

HR 27 Medicare Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicare Program, and for other purposes; HR 43 and S 46, Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps; S 54 Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by establishing minimum nurse staffing ratios at certain Medicare providers, and for other purposes; HR 319 Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States the option of coverage of legal immigrants under the Medicaid Program and the State children's health insurance program (SCHIP); S 214 Children's Health Equity Technical Amendments Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to permit qualifying States to use their allotments under the State Children's Health Insurance Program for any fiscal year for certain Medicaid expenditures; HR 362 and S 318 Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to health care under the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 465 a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States to ensure coverage without a 5-year delay of certain children and pregnant women under the Medicaid program and SCHIP; HR 487, a bill to waive the 35-mile requirement for designation of a critical access hospital under the Medicare program; HR 592 and S 264 E-Centives Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to encourage the use of certified health information technology by providers in the Medicaid Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes; HR 619 a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the exclusion from medical assistance under the Medicaid Program of items and services for patients in an institution for mental diseases; S 295 Medicare Quality and Payment Reform Act of 2009, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the quality and efficiency of the Medicare program through measurement of readmission rates and resource use and to develop a pilot program to provide episodic payments to organized groups of multispecialty and multilevel providers of services and suppliers for hospitalization episodes associated with select, high cost diagnoses; HR 668 and S 307 Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide flexibility in the manner in which beds are counted for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital under the Medicare program and to exempt from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation the number of beds provided for certain veterans; HR 902 and S. 382 MediFair Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the provision of items and services provided to Medicare beneficiaries residing in States with more cost-effective health care delivery systems; S 434 Empowered at Home Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes; S 438 Improved Medical Decision Incentive Act of 2009, a bill to provide for the voluntary development by States of qualifying best practices for health care and to encourage such voluntary development by amending titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide differential rates of payment favoring treatment provided consistent with qualifying best practices under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and for other purposes; HR 1117 Medically Fragile Children's Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to establish a State plan option under Medicaid to provide an all-inclusive program of care for children who are medically fragile or have one or more chronic conditions that impede their ability to function; HR 1188 and S 468 Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to emergency medical services and the quality and efficiency of care furnished in emergency departments of hospitals and critical access hospitals by establishing a bipartisan commission to examine factors that affect the effective delivery of such services, by providing for additional payments for certain physician services furnished in such emergency departments, and by establishing a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Working Group, and for other purposes; S 712 Rural Medicare Equity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 1776 Quality FIRST (From Incentives, Reporting, Standards, and Technology) Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the development of quality measures for inpatient hospital services, to implement a performance-based payment methodology for the provision of such services under the Medicare Program; Senator Schumer and Senator Roberts Letter eliminating IME Cuts CMS to withdraw the Capital IME cut that was included in last years Medicare IPPS rule; Letter to President Obama from Neal/ Tiberi on Capital IME PROTECT AMERICAS TEACHING HOSPITALS, asking him to withdraw a provision in the FY 2010 IPPS rule that would cut reimbursements to teaching hospitals. Letter to CMS asking to eliminate the state-specific budget neutrality policy for the rural and imputed rural floor indices in the upcoming FY2010 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule (IPPS); Working on legislation to amend the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor Program; S 852 a bill to apply an alternative payment amount under the Medicare program for certain graduate medical education programs established to train residents displaced by natural disasters; HR 2068 Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2009, a bill to improve the provision of telehealth services under the Medicare Program; HR 2094 Physician Training Promotion Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase the per resident payment floor for direct graduate medical education payments under the Medicare Program; HR 2124 Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to extend subsections (c) and (d) of section 114 of the Medicare, Medicaid, & SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-173) to provide for regulatory stability during the development of facility and patient criteria for long-term care hospitals under the Medicare program; HR 2204 Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide payment under part A of the Medicare Program on a reasonable cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by an anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payments are provided for anesthesia services furnished by anesthesiologist assistants and certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals; S 935 Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to extend subsections (c) and (d) of section 114 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-173) to provide for regulatory stability during the development of facility and patient criteria for long-term care hospitals under the Medicare program; HR 2443 Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to ambulance services under the Medicare Program; S 1079 Medicare Cost Contract Extension and Refinement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend reasonable cost contracts under the Medicare program; HR 2525 Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2009, a bill to require application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for each all-urban and rural State; HR 2534 Physician Pathology Services Continuity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under the Medicare Program; S 1108 Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2009, a bill to require application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for each all-urban and rural State; S 1110 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, making the Commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; S 1114 Medical Homes Act of 2009, a bill to establish a demonstration project to provide for patient-centered medical homes to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing medical assistance under the Medicaid program and child health assistance under the State Children's Health Insurance Program; Letters and further discussions to CMS, Physician Supervision for Outpatient Service, resend policy changes requiring direct physician supervision for all PSO therapeutic Outpatient Service provided in and on hospital campus under Medicare, and withdraw change to minimize legal risk for years 2001-2009; HR 2688 Empowered at Home Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid Program; HR 2692 and S 1171CAH Designation Waiver Authority Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to restore State authority to waive the 35-mile rule for designating critical access hospitals under the Medicare Program; HR 2718 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, making the Commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; S 1185 Medicare Financial Stability for Beneficiaries Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure that low-income beneficiaries have improved access to health care under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; S 1181 Healthy Living and Health Aging Demonstration Project Act of 2009, a bill to provide for a demonstration project to examine whether community-level public health interventions can result in lower rates of chronic disease for individuals entering the Medicare program; HR 2753 a bill to delay the implementation of new Medicare hospital geographic wage reclassification criteria until the Secretary of Health and Human Services issues a proposal to revise the hospital wage index classification system that addresses certain considerations; HR 2758 Medicare Specialty Care Improvement and Protection Act of 2009, a bill to amend part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to Medicare special needs plans and the alignment of Medicare and Medicaid for dually eligible individuals; HR 2773 Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to cover transitional care services to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of care under the Medicare Program; S 1218 Urban Medicare-Dependent Hospitals Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to urban Medicare-dependent hospitals; HR 2784 Partnership to Improve Seniors Access to Medicare Act, a bill to establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program; HR 2805 Ensuring Continuous Medicaid Coverage for Children Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require 12-month continuous coverage for children under Medicaid; HR 2844 Medicare Payment Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a value indexing mechanism for the physician work component of the Medicare physician fee schedule; HR 2859 Strengthening Medicaid for America's Children Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for application of an enhanced Federal matching rate for children under the Medicaid Program if certain conditions are met; S 1262 Medical Efficiency and Delivery Improvement of Care Act (MEDIC) of 2009, a bill to amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act and titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide additional resources for primary care services, to create new payment models for services under Medicare, to expand provision of non-institutionally-based long-term services, and for other purposes; S 1263 Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for advanced illness care management services for Medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes; HR 2919 Medicare Efficiency Incentive Act of 2009, a bill to amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare physician incentive payments for efficient areas; HR 2921a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an annual review by the MedPAC on geographic access to services; S 1279 TARP Recipient Ownership Trust Act of 2009, a bill to amend the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program; HR 2959 Accountable Care Promotion Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish an accountable care organization pilot program to reduce the growth of expenditures and improve health outcomes under the Medicare Program; S 1300 Community and Rural Medical Residency Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify intent regarding the counting of residents in a nonhospital setting under the Medicare program; S 1380 MedPAC Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the MedPAC, making the commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; H.R. 3138 Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, or medical supplies for which payment is made under Medicare, Medicaid, or SCHIP; HR 3141 Strengthening the Health Care Safety Net Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a DSH redistribution pool from unexpended Medicaid DSH allotments in order to increase Medicaid DSH allotments for low DSH States and to provide grants for health access networks serving the uninsured; H.R. 3152 Helping Seniors Choose their Medicare Drug Plan Act, a bill to amend titles XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure that low-income beneficiaries have improved access to prescription drugs under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; S. 1423 Medicaid Birth Center Reimbursement Act, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require coverage under the Medicaid Program for freestanding birth center services; S. 1427 Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital Quality Report Card Act of 2009, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative to report on health care quality in Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, and for other purposes; H.R. 3172 Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for advanced illness care management services for Medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes; H.R. 3184 Medicare Independent Living Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the in the home restriction for Medicare coverage of mobility devices for individuals with expected long-term needs; H.R. 3256 Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Extension Act of 2009, a bill to amend the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program; H.R. 3356 Medicare Beneficiary Freedom to Choose Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify the use of private contracts by Medicare beneficiaries for professional services and to allow individuals to choose to opt out of the Medicare part A benefits; H.R. 3361 Medicare Patient Safeguards Act of 2009, a bill to provide a process for public comment and Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee review of certain Medicare national coverage determinations, and for other purposes; HR 3369 and S.1521 Improve Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to require provider payments under Medicare and Medicaid to be made through direct deposit or electronic funds transfer (EFT) at insured depository institutions; S.1522 Outpatient Mental Health Modernization Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to stabilize and modernize the provision of partial hospitalization services under the Medicare program; H.R. 3374 Medicare and Medicaid Access Project through Information Technology (MAP IT) Act, a bill to provide for a demonstration project relating to the impact of health information technology on chronic disease management under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; H.R. 3422 Medicare Support for Rural Hospitals Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make temporary improvements to the Medicare inpatient payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; H.R. 3430 DSH Collaborative Care Network Pilot Program Act of 2009, a bill to establish a Medicare DSH pilot program under which participants shall establish collaborative care networks to reduce the use of emergency departments, inpatient and other expensive resources of hospitals and other providers and provide more comprehensive and coordinated care to low-income individuals, including those without health insurance coverage, and to establish a Collaborative Care Network Center; Neal Letter to Pelosi, Opposition to the Independent Medicare Advisory Council (IMAC) and MedPAC Reform Act (HR 2718, S1110, S 1380); HR 3556 NO TITLE, a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a self-referral disclosure protocol under the Medicare Program to enable health care providers of services and suppliers to disclose violations of section 1877 of the Social Security Act; S 1669 Equal Access to Medicare Options Act of 2009, a bill to provide all Medicare beneficiaries with the right to guaranteed issue of a Medicare supplemental policy; HR 3631 Medicare Premium Fairness Act, a bill to amend title XVIII to provide for the application of a consistent Medicare part B premium for all Medicare beneficiaries in a budget neutral manner for 2010; HR 3653 Medicare Card Security Act of 2009, a bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to prohibit the display of Social Security account numbers on Medicare cards; HR 3663 NO TITLE, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to delay the date on which the accreditation requirement under the Medicare Program applies to suppliers of durable medical equipment that are pharmacies; HR 3665 Ryan White Grantee Medicaid Payment Equity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for payment for Medicaid services furnished by Ryan White part C grantees under a cost-based prospective payment system; HR 3675 National Quality Cancer Care Demonstration Project Act of 2009, a bill to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of cancer care to Medicare beneficiaries by establishing a national demonstration project; HR 2962 Integrity in Medicare Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exclude certain advanced diagnostic imaging services from the in-office ancillary services exception to the prohibition on physician self-referral.

Medicare/Part B Premium Hold Harmless. H.R. 3631: Provisions extending the current "hold harmless" policy to all Medicare enrollees to ensure 2010 Part B monthly premiums remain at the current rate. Comprehensive Health Care Reform. H.R. 3200, S. 1679, Senate Finance Committee Mark of Americas Healthy Futures Act: provisions related to reducing Medicare Advantage plan payments, reducing the coverage gap in Part D, requiring wealthier Medicare beneficiaries to pay a greater share of the cost of their premiums under Medicare Part D, reducing the Part A deductible, establishing an out-of-pocket maximum under Medicare, establishing a voluntary comprehensive benefit option under Medicare, authorizing a Medicare-operated Part D drug plan, permitting the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices for the Part D program, simplifying plan benefit designs under Parts D and C, expanding benefits for low-income beneficiaries under the Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), improving the process for reassigning LIS beneficiaries to new plans, expanding coverage of prevention services, integrating mental health services in primary care and community settings, eliminating the 45 percent funding trigger provision, establishing a Medicare Commission, providing Medicaid coverage for home and community-based services, establishing a new national insurance program for long-term supports and services, authorizing funding to provide language services to limited English proficiency beneficiaries, authorizing the collection of data regarding disparities in the provision of care, providing safeguards and subsidies to assure affordability of health coverage for seniors, preserving state benefit laws and requirements, reducing permitted age rating ratio and clarifying the Medicare Secondary Payer statute. Medicare/Commission. S. 1110 and S. 1380: authorizing an enhanced MedPAC as an executive branch commission with authority to implement Medicare payment and policy designed to reduce Medicare spending growth. Medicare/Prescription Drug Plan. S. 330/H.R. 684: authorizing the establishment of a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan; S. 266: authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and to use the savings to reduce the coverage gap. Medicare/Part D Generics. S. 75: requiring the use of generics where available unless the brand name drug is determined to be medically necessary. Medicare/Part D cost-sharing. S. 1630: establishing limits on required beneficiary cost-sharing under Part D drug plans. Medicare/Part D dual eligibles. S. 1634: removing enrollment barriers for low-income beneficiaries and establishing a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan. Medicare/Combating Waste, Fraud, Abuse. H.R. 27: relating to additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicare; H.R. 203: increasing civil and criminal penalties for acts involving fraud and abuse and increasing the surety bond amount for suppliers of durable medical equipment. Medicare/Therapy Caps. H.R. 43/S. 46: repealing outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps. Medicare/Private Contracts. H.R. 164: prohibiting denial of Social Security benefits to persons who elect not to participate in Medicare. Medicare/Hearing Coverage. H.R. 504: authorizing coverage of hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under Medicare Part B. Medicare/Dental Coverage. H.R. 870: authoring coverage under Part B for medically necessary dental procedures. Medicare/Rural Improvements. H.R. 902/S. 382: provision authorizing improvements to services provided to beneficiaries residing in rural areas. Medicare/Shingles Vaccine. H.R. 1038: extending Part B coverage to the shingles vaccine. Medicare/Home Health. H.R. 1094: authorizing home health care agencies to assign the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit under a Medicare home health plan of care for rehabilitation services. Medicare/Health Care Vouchers. H.R. 1118: authorizing Medicare-eligible seniors to elect to receive vouchers for a health savings account, premiums for a high deductible health insurance plan, or both, in lieu of regular Medicare benefits and suspending Medicare late enrollment penalties between ages 65 and 70. Medicare/Skilled Nursing Facilities. H.R. 1125, S. 647: provisions related to requiring the reporting of expenditures for nursing services at skilled nursing facilities and requiring disclosure of corporate ownership. Medicare/Prevention. H.R. 1213: provisions authorizing ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms to at-risk Medicare beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 75 without the requirement of a prior initial preventive physical examination; H.R. 1894/S. 769: expanding access to bone mass measurement benefits under Part B. Medicare/Part B Drug Payments. H.R. 1392: relating to appropriate Part B payment amounts for drugs and biologicals. Medicare/Low Income Prescription Drug Benefits. H.R. 1407/S. 534: authorizing a reduction in cost-sharing under Part D for non-institutionalized, full-benefit dual eligible individuals. Medicare/Disability Benefits. S. 700/H.R. 1708, H.R. 2881: phasing-out the 24-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits and eliminating the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions. Medicare/Prescription Drugs for kidney transplants. H.R. 1458/S. 565: provision related to continued coverage for immunosuppressive drugs furnished beneficiaries that have received kidney transplants and whose entitlement to coverage would otherwise expire. Medicare/Intravenous Drugs. H.R. 1765/S.701: relating to the payment for intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases in a patient's home and for certain disposable pumps as durable medical equipment in place of non-disposable pumps. Medicare/Home Infusion Therapy. H.R. 574/S.254: extending Medicare coverage to home infusion therapy. Medicare/Physical Therapy Services. H.R. 1829: authorizing physical therapists to evaluate and treat Medicare beneficiaries without physician referral. Medicare/Part D Premiums. H.R. 1832: limiting Part D premium increases to no more than the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Medicare/Cancer Hospice and Palliative Care. H.R. 1844: provisions authorizing coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning, establishing a Medicare hospice care demonstration, and authorizing grant programs for cancer palliative care and symptom management, provider education, and related research. Medicare/Hospice and Advanced Care Planning. S. 1150, H.R. 2911: provisions related to changing hospice payments and providing advance care planning resources. Medicare/Physician-Manufacturer Transparency. S. 301: increasing the transparency of the relationship between physicians and the manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, and medical supplies. Medicare/Care Coordination Services. S. 1131, H.R. 2560: provisions establishing pilot care coordination program. Medicaid/Home and Community-based Long Term Care. S. 434, S.1257, H.R. 28552: provisions to remove barriers to providing home and community-based services including providing a state option to provide home and community-based services to individuals for whom such services are likely to prevent, delay, or decrease the likelihood of an individual's need for institutionalized care and authorizing the implementation of assistance grants for states electing to provide home and community-based services under Medicaid; provisions to provide a single point of entry to long term services; provisions to support nursing home diversion programs. Medicaid/Community-based Attendant Services and Supports. S. 683, H.R. 1670: authorizing coverage of community-based attendant services and supports under Medicaid, increasing funding and establishing a demonstration program for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

HR 27Medicare Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicare Program, and for other purposes; HR 43 and S 46, Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps; S 54 Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by establishing minimum nurse staffing ratios at certain Medicare providers, and for other purposes; HR 319 Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States the option of coverage of legal immigrants under the Medicaid Program and the State children's health insurance program (SCHIP); S 214 Children's Health Equity Technical Amendments Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to permit qualifying States to use their allotments under the State Children's Health Insurance Program for any fiscal year for certain Medicaid expenditures; HR 362 and S 318 Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to health care under the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 465,a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States to ensure coverage without a 5-year delay of certain children and pregnant women under the Medicaid program and SCHIP; HR 487, a bill to waive the 35-mile requirement for designation of a critical access hospital under the Medicare program; HR 592 and S 264 E-Centives Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to encourage the use of certified health information technology by providers in the Medicaid Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes; HR 619 a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the exclusion from medical assistance under the Medicaid Program of items and services for patients in an institution for mental diseases; S 295 Medicare Quality and Payment Reform Act of 2009, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the quality and efficiency of the Medicare program through measurement of readmission rates and resource use and to develop a pilot program to provide episodic payments to organized groups of multispecialty and multilevel providers of services and suppliers for hospitalization episodes associated with select, high cost diagnoses; HR 668 and S 307 Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide flexibility in the manner in which beds are counted for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital under the Medicare program and to exempt from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation the number of beds provided for certain veterans; HR 902 and S. 382 MediFair Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the provision of items and services provided to Medicare beneficiaries residing in States with more cost-effective health care delivery systems; S 434 Empowered at Home Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes; S 438 Improved Medical Decision Incentive Act of 2009, a bill to provide for the voluntary development by States of qualifying best practices for health care and to encourage such voluntary development by amending titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide differential rates of payment favoring treatment provided consistent with qualifying best practices under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and for other purposes; HR 1117 Medically Fragile Children's Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to establish a State plan option under Medicaid to provide an all-inclusive program of care for children who are medically fragile or have one or more chronic conditions that impede their ability to function; HR 1188 and S 468 Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to emergency medical services and the quality and efficiency of care furnished in emergency departments of hospitals and critical access hospitals by establishing a bipartisan commission to examine factors that affect the effective delivery of such services, by providing for additional payments for certain physician services furnished in such emergency departments, and by establishing a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Working Group, and for other purposes; S 712 Rural Medicare Equity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 1776 Quality FIRST (From Incentives, Reporting, Standards, and Technology) Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the development of quality measures for inpatient hospital services, to implement a performance-based payment methodology for the provision of such services under the Medicare Program; Senator Schumer and Senator Roberts Letter eliminating IME Cuts CMS to withdraw the Capital IME cut that was included in last years Medicare IPPS rule; Letter to President Obama from Neal/ Tiberi on Capital IME PROTECT AMERICAS TEACHING HOSPITALS, asking him to withdraw a provision in the FY 2010 IPPS rule that would cut reimbursements to teaching hospitals. Letter to CMS asking to eliminate the state-specific budget neutrality policy for the rural and imputed rural floor indices in the upcoming FY2010 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule (IPPS).Working on legislation to amend the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor Program. S 852 a bill to apply an alternative payment amount under the Medicare program for certain graduate medical education programs established to train residents displaced by natural disasters; HR 2068 Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2009, a bill to improve the provision of telehealth services under the Medicare Program; HR 2094 Physician Training Promotion Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase the per resident payment floor for direct graduate medical education payments under the Medicare Program; HR 2124 Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to extend subsections (c) and (d) of section 114 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-173) to provide for regulatory stability during the development of facility and patient criteria for long-term care hospitals under the Medicare Program; HR 2204 Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide payment under part A of the Medicare Program on a reasonable cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by an anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payments are provided for anesthesia services furnished by anesthesiologist assistants and certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals; S 935 Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to extend subsections (c) and (d) of section 114 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-173) to provide for regulatory stability during the development of facility and patient criteria for long-term care hospitals under the Medicare program; HR 2443 Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to ambulance services under the Medicare Program; S 1079 Medicare Cost Contract Extension and Refinement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend reasonable cost contracts under the Medicare program; HR 2525 Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2009, a bill to require application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for each all-urban and rural State; HR 2534 Physician Pathology Services Continuity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the treatment of certain physician pathology services under the Medicare Program; S 1108 Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2009, a bill to require application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for each all-urban and rural State; S 1110 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, making the Commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; S 1114 Medical Homes Act of 2009, a bill to establish a demonstration project to provide for patient-centered medical homes to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing medical assistance under the Medicaid program and child health assistance under the State Children's Health Insurance Program; Letter to CMS, Physician Supervision for Outpatient Service, Resend policy changes requiring PSO therapeutic Service in and on hospital campus. Withdraw it to minimize legal risk; HR 2688 Empowered at Home Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid Program; HR 2692 and S 1171CAH Designation Waiver Authority Act of 2009A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to restore State authority to waive the 35-mile rule for designating critical access hospitals under the Medicare Program; HR 2718 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, making the Commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy; S 1185 Medicare Financial Stability for Beneficiaries Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure that low-income beneficiaries have improved access to health care under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; S 1181 Healthy Living and Health Aging Demonstration Project Act of 2009, a bill to provide for a demonstration project to examine whether community-level public health interventions can result in lower rates of chronic disease for individuals entering the Medicare program; HR 2753 a bill to delay the implementation of new Medicare hospital geographic wage reclassification criteria until the Secretary of Health and Human Services issues a proposal to revise the hospital wage index classification system that addresses certain considerations; HR 2758 Medicare Specialty Care Improvement and Protection Act of 2009, a bill to amend part C of title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to Medicare special needs plans and the alignment of Medicare and Medicaid for dually eligible individuals, and for other purposes HR 2773 Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to cover transitional care services to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of care under the Medicare Program; S 1218 Urban Medicare-Dependent Hospitals Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to urban Medicare-dependent hospitals; HR 2784 Partnership to Improve Seniors Access to Medicare Act, a bill to establish a loan repayment program for qualifying physicians and nurse practitioners participating in the Medicare Program; HR 2805 Ensuring Continuous Medicaid Coverage for Children Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require 12-month continuous coverage for children under Medicaid; HR 2844 Medicare Payment Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a value indexing mechanism for the physician work component of the Medicare physician fee schedule; HR 2859 Strengthening Medicaid for America's Children Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for application of an enhanced Federal matching rate for children under the Medicaid Program if certain conditions are met; S 1262Medical Efficiency and Delivery Improvement of Care Act (MEDIC) of 2009, a bill to amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act and titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide additional resources for primary care services, to create new payment models for services under Medicare, to expand provision of non-institutionally-based long-term services, and for other purposes; S 1263 Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for advanced illness care management services for Medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes; HR 2919 Medicare Efficiency Incentive Act of 2009, a bill to amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare physician incentive payments for efficient areas; HR 2921a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an annual review by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission on geographic access to services; S 1279 TARP Recipient Ownership Trust Act of 2009, a bill to amend the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program; HR 2959 Accountable Care Promotion Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish an accountable care organization pilot program to reduce the growth of expenditures and improve health outcomes under the Medicare Program; S 1300 Community and Rural Medical Residency Preservation Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify intent regarding the counting of residents in a nonhospital setting under the Medicare program; S 1380 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) Reform Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to create a sensible infrastructure for delivery system reform by renaming the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, making the commission an executive branch agency, and providing the Commission new resources and authority to implement Medicare payment policy.

Comprehensive Health Care Reform. House Tri-Committee Discussion Draft, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee draft bill, Senate Finance Committee Description of Policy Options (No bill numbers as of this date): provisions related to reducing Medicare Advantage plan payments, reducing the coverage gap in Part D, reducing the Part A deductible, establishing an out-of-pocket maximum under Medicare, establishing a voluntary comprehensive benefit option under Medicare, authorizing a Medicare-operated Part D drug plan, expanding benefits for low-income beneficiaries under the Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), improvement of the process for reassigning LIS beneficiaries to new plans, expanding coverage of prevention services, elimination of the 45 percent funding trigger provision, providing Medicaid coverage for home and community-based services, establishing a new national insurance program for long-term supports and services, authorizing funding to provide language services to limited English proficiency beneficiaries, authorizing the collection of data regarding disparities in the provision of care, providing safeguards and subsidies to assure affordability of health coverage for seniors, preserving state benefit laws and requirements, reducing permitted age rating ratio and clarifying the Medicare Secondary Payer statute. Medicare/Prescription Drug Plan. S.330/H.R. 684: authorizing the establishment of a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan; S. 266: authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and to use the savings to reduce the coverage gap. Medicare/Part D Means Testing. S. Amdt. 805 (to S. Con. Res. 13), S. 677: requiring wealthier Medicare beneficiaries to pay a greater share of the cost of their premiums under Medicare Part D. Medicare/Part D Generics. S. 75: requiring the use of generics where available unless the brand name drug is determined to be medically necessary. Medicare/Combating Waste, Fraud, Abuse. H.R. 27: relating to additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicare; H.R. 203: increasing civil and criminal penalties for acts involving fraud and abuse and increasing the surety bond amount for suppliers of durable medical equipment. Medicare/Therapy Caps. H.R. 43/S. 46: repealing outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps. Medicare/Private Contracts. H.R. 164: prohibiting denial of Social Security benefits to persons who elect not to participate in Medicare. Medicare/Hearing Coverage. H.R. 504: authorizing coverage of hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under Medicare Part B. Medicare/Dental Coverage. H.R. 870: authoring coverage under Part B for medically necessary dental procedures. Medicare/Rural Improvements. H.R. 902/S. 382: provision authorizing improvements to services provided to beneficiaries residing in rural areas. Medicare/Shingles Vaccine. H.R. 1038: extending Part B coverage to the shingles vaccine. Medicare/Home Health. H.R. 1094: authorizing home health care agencies to assign the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit under a Medicare home health plan of care for rehabilitation services. Medicare/Health Care Vouchers. H.R. 1118: authorizing Medicare-eligible seniors to elect to receive vouchers for a health savings account, premiums for a high deductible health insurance plan, or both, in lieu of regular Medicare benefits and suspending Medicare late enrollment penalties between ages 65 and 70. Medicare/Skilled Nursing Facilities. H.R. 1125, S. 647: provisions related to requiring the reporting of expenditures for nursing services at skilled nursing facilities and requiring disclosure of corporate ownership. Medicare/Prevention. H.R. 1213: provisions authorizing ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms to at-risk Medicare beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 75 without the requirement of a prior initial preventive physical examination; H.R. 1894/S. 769: expanding access to bone mass measurement benefits under Part B. Medicare/Part B Drug Payments. H.R. 1392: relating to appropriate Part B payment amounts for drugs and biologicals. Medicare/Low Income Prescription Drug Benefits. H.R. 1407/S. 534: authorizing a reduction in cost-sharing under Part D for non-institutionalized, full-benefit dual eligible individuals. Medicare/Disability Benefits. S. 700/H.R. 1708, H.R. 2881: phasing-out the 24-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits and eliminating the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions. Medicare/Prescription Drugs for kidney transplants. H.R. 1458/S. 565: provision related to continued coverage for immunosuppressive drugs furnished beneficiaries that have received kidney transplants and whose entitlement to coverage would otherwise expire. Medicare/Intravenous Drugs. H.R. 1765/S. 701: relating to the payment for intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases in a patient's home and for certain disposable pumps as durable medical equipment in place of non-disposable pumps. Medicare/Home Infusion Therapy. H.R. 574/S. 254: extending Medicare coverage to home infusion therapy. Medicare/Physical Therapy Services. H.R. 1829: authorizing physical therapists to evaluate and treat Medicare beneficiaries without physician referral. Medicare/Part D Premiums. H.R. 1832: limiting Part D premium increases to no more than the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Medicare/Cancer Hospice and Palliative Care. H.R. 1844: provisions authorizing coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning, establishing a Medicare hospice care demonstration, and authorizing grant programs for cancer palliative care and symptom management, provider education, and related research. Medicare/Hospice and Advanced Care Planning. S. 1150, H.R. 2911: provisions related to changing hospice payments and providing advance care planning resources. Medicare/Physician-Manufacturer Transparency. S. 301: increasing the transparency of the relationship between physicians and the manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, and medical supplies. Medicare/Comparative Effectiveness. S. Amdt. 793 (to S. Con. Res. 13): prohibiting research information comparing the effectiveness of different treatments to deny coverage of products or services under federal health care programs including Medicare. Medicare/Care Coordination Services. S. 1131, H.R. 2560: provisions establishing pilot care coordination program. Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement. S. Amdt. 799 (to S. Con. Res. 13): addressing the systemic inequities of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement in rural areas. Medicaid/Home and Community-based Long Term Care. S. 434, S.1257, H.R. 28552: provisions to remove barriers to providing home and community-based services including providing a state option to provide home and community-based services to individuals for whom such services are likely to prevent, delay, or decrease the likelihood of an individual's need for institutionalized care and authorizing the implementation of assistance grants for states electing to provide home and community-based services under Medicaid; provisions to provide a single point of entry to long term services; provisions to support nursing home diversion programs. Medicaid/Community-based Attendant Services and Supports. S. 683, H.R. 1670: authorizing coverage of community-based attendant services and supports under Medicaid, increasing funding and establishing a demonstration program for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

HR 27Medicare Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicare Program, and for other purposes; HR 43 and S 46, Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps; S 53 Nursing School Clinics Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of services provided by nursing school clinics under State Medicaid programs; S 54 Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by establishing minimum nurse staffing ratios at certain Medicare providers, and for other purposes; S 63 Medicaid Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants Access Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve access to advanced practice nurses and physicians' assistants under the Medicaid Program; HR 319 Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States the option of coverage of legal immigrants under the Medicaid Program and the State children's health insurance program (SCHIP); S 214 Children's Health Equity Technical Amendments Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to permit qualifying States to use their allotments under the State Children's Health Insurance Program for any fiscal year for certain Medicaid expenditures; HR 362 and S 318 Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to health care under the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 465,a bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States to ensure coverage without a 5-year delay of certain children and pregnant women under the Medicaid program and SCHIP; HR 487, a bill to waive the 35-mile requirement for designation of a critical access hospital under the Medicare program; HR 592 and S 264 E-Centives Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to encourage the use of certified health information technology by providers in the Medicaid Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes; HR 619 a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the exclusion from medical assistance under the Medicaid Program of items and services for patients in an institution for mental diseases; S 295 Medicare Quality and Payment Reform Act of 2009, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the quality and efficiency of the Medicare program through measurement of readmission rates and resource use and to develop a pilot program to provide episodic payments to organized groups of multispecialty and multilevel providers of services and suppliers for hospitalization episodes associated with select, high cost diagnoses; S 301Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, or medical supplies for which payment is made under Medicare, Medicaid, or SCHIP; HR 668 and S 307 Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide flexibility in the manner in which beds are counted for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital under the Medicare program and to exempt from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation the number of beds provided for certain veterans; HR 902 and S. 382 MediFair Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the provision of items and services provided to Medicare beneficiaries residing in States with more cost-effective health care delivery systems; HR 1094 Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act of 2009, a bill to ensure that home health agencies can assign the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit for home health services for Medicare beneficiaries requiring rehabilitation therapy under a home health plan of care, based upon physician referral; S 434 Empowered at Home Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes; S 438 Improved Medical Decision Incentive Act of 2009, a bill to provide for the voluntary development by States of qualifying best practices for health care and to encourage such voluntary development by amending titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide differential rates of payment favoring treatment provided consistent with qualifying best practices under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and for other purposes; HR 1117 Medically Fragile Children's Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to establish a State plan option under Medicaid to provide an all-inclusive program of care for children who are medically fragile or have one or more chronic conditions that impede their ability to function; HR 1118 Health Care Choices for Senior Act, a bill to amend the Social Security Act to improve choices available to Medicare eligible seniors by permitting them to elect (instead of regular Medicare benefits) to receive a voucher for a health savings acount, for premiums for a high deductible health insurance plan, or both and by suspending Medicare late enrollment penalties between ages 65 and 70; HR 1125 Long-Term Care Quality Improvement Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the quality of care in skilled nursing facilities under the Medicare Program through requiring the reporting of expenditures for nursing; HR 1137 Athletic Trainers' Equal Access to Medicare Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide improved access to physical medicine and rehabilitation services under part B of the Medicare Program, and for other purposes; S 457 Fostering Independence Through Technology Act of 2009, a bill to establish pilot projects under the Medicare program to provide incentives for home health agencies to utilize home monitoring and communications technologies; HR 1188 and S 468 Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to emergency medical services and the quality and efficiency of care furnished in emergency departments of hospitals and critical access hospitals by establishing a bipartisan commission to examine factors that affect the effective delivery of such services, by providing for additional payments for certain physician services furnished in such emergency departments, and by establishing a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Working Group, and for other purposes; HR 1643 and S 648 Medicare Access to Community Health Centers (MATCH) Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a prospective payment system instead of the reasonable cost-based reimbursement method for Medicare-covered services provided by Federally qualified health centers and to expand the scope of such covered services to account for expansions in the scope of services provided by Federally qualified health centers since the inclusion of such services for coverage under the Medicare Program; S 677 Reforming an Entitlement through Premium Adjustments based on Income Resources (REPAIR) Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require wealthy beneficiaries to pay a greater share of their premiums under the Medicare prescription drug program; S 712 Rural Medicare Equity Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the Medicare program for beneficiaries residing in rural areas; HR 1776 Quality FIRST (From Incentives, Reporting, Standards, and Technology) Act of 2009, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the development of quality measures for inpatient hospital services, to implement a performance-based payment methodology for the provision of such services under the Medicare Program; Senator Schumer and Senator Roberts Letter eliminating IME Cuts CMS to withdraw the Capital IME cut that was included in last years Medicare IPPS rule; Letter to President Obama from Neal/ Tiberi on Capitol IME PROTECT AMERICAS TEACHING HOSPITALS, asking him to withdraw a provision in the FY 2010 IPPS rule that would cut reimbursements to teaching hospitals. Letter to CMS asking to eliminate the state-specific budget neutrality policy for the rural and imputed rural floor indices in the upcoming FY2010 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule (IPPS).Working on legislation to amend the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor Program.

Medicare/Prescription Drug Plan. S.330/H.R. 684: authorizing the establishment of a Medicare-operated prescription drug plan; S. 266: authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and to use the savings to reduce the coverage gap. Medicare/Part D Means Testing. S. Amdt. 805 (to S. Con. Res. 13), S. 677: requiring wealthier Medicare beneficiaries to pay a greater share of the cost of their premiums under Medicare Part D. Medicare/Part D Generics. S. 75: requiring the use of generics where available unless the brand name drug is determined to be medically necessary. Medicare/Combating Waste, Fraud, Abuse. H.R. 27: relating to additional provisions to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicare; H.R. 203: increasing civil and criminal penalties for acts involving fraud and abuse and increasing the surety bond amount for suppliers of durable medical equipment. Medicare/Therapy Caps. H.R. 43, S. 46: repealing outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps. Medicare/Private Contracts. H.R. 164: prohibiting denial of Social Security benefits to persons who elect not to participate in Medicare. Medicare/Hearing Coverage. H.R. 504: authorizing coverage of hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under Medicare Part B. Medicare/Dental Coverage. H.R. 870: authorizing coverage under Part B for medically necessary dental procedures. Medicare/Rural Improvements. H.R. 902, S. 382: provision authorizing improvements to services provided to beneficiaries residing in rural areas. Medicare/Shingles Vaccine. H.R. 1038: extending Part B coverage to the shingles vaccine. Medicare/Home Health. H.R. 1094: authorizing home health care agencies to assign the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit under a Medicare home health plan of care for rehabilitation services. Medicare/Health Care Vouchers. H.R. 1118: authorizing Medicare-eligible seniors to elect to receive vouchers for a health savings account, premiums for a high deductible health insurance plan, or both, in lieu of regular Medicare benefits and suspending Medicare late enrollment penalties between ages 65 and 70. Medicare/Skilled Nursing Facilities. H.R. 1125: requiring the reporting of expenditures for nursing services at skilled nursing facilities. Medicare/Prevention. H.R. 1213: provisions authorizing ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms to at-risk Medicare beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 75 without the requirement of a prior initial preventive physical examination; H.R. 1894/S. 769: expanding access to bone mass measurement benefits under Part B. Medicare/Part B Drug Payments. H.R. 1392: relating to appropriate Part B payment amounts for drugs and biologicals. Medicare/Low Income Prescription Drug Benefits. H.R. 1407, S. 534: authorizing a reduction in cost-sharing under Part D for non-institutionalized, full-benefit dual eligible individuals. Medicare/Disability Benefits. S. 700, H.R. 1708: phasing-out the 24-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits and eliminating the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions. Medicare/Prescription Drugs for Kidney Transplants. H.R. 1458, S. 565: provision related to continued coverage for immunosuppressive drugs furnished beneficiaries that have received kidney transplants and whose entitlement to coverage would otherwise expire. Medicare/Intravenous Drugs. H.R. 1765, S.701: relating to the payment for intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases in a patient's home and for certain disposable pumps as durable medical equip- ment in place of non-disposable pumps. Medicare/Home Infusion Therapy. H.R. 574, S. 254: extending Medicare coverage to home infusion therapy. Medicare/Physical Therapy Services. H.R. 1829: authorizing physical therapists to evaluate and treat Medicare beneficiaries without physician referral. Medicare/Part D Premiums. H.R. 1832: limiting Part D premium increases to no more than the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Medicare/Cancer Hospice and Palliative Care. H.R. 1844: provisions authorizing coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning, establishing a Medicare hospice care demonstration, and authorizing grant programs for cancer palliative care and symptom management, provider education, and related research. Medicare/Physician-Manufacturer Transparency. S. 301: increasing the transparency of the relationship between physicians and the manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, and medical supplies. Medicare/Comparative Effectiveness. S. Amdt. 793 (to S. Con. Res. 13): prohibiting research information comparing the effectiveness of different treatments to deny coverage of products or services under federal health care programs including Medicare. Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement. S. Amdt. 799 (to S. Con. Res. 13): addressing the systemic inequities of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement in rural areas. Medicaid/Home and Community-based Long Term Care. S. 434: provision to remove barriers to providing home and community-based services including providing a state option to provide home and community-based services to individuals for whom such services are likely to prevent, delay, or decrease the likelihood of an individual's need for institutionalized care and authorizing the implementation of assistance grants for states electing to provide home and community-based services under Medicaid. Medicaid/Community-based Attendant Services and Supports. S. 683, H.R. 1670: authorizing coverage of community-based attendant services and supports under Medicaid, increasing funding and establishing a demonstration program for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.