House Bill Would Delay Medicaid Regs
On Friday, March 14, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Dingell and
Congressman Tim Murphy introduced H.R. 5613, "Protecting the Medicaid
Safety Net Act of 2008," to delay until April 1, 2009, seven Medicaid
regulations that would result in a cost shift to states. The Congressional
Budget Office estimates a $20 billion reduction in federal Medicaid
expenditures over five years as a result of the regulations. A recent report by
the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
puts the savings closer to $50 billion.
House, Senate Adopt Budget Resolutions
The Senate adopted its budget resolution last Friday after voting on dozens
of amendments in a 15-hour session. The House had adopted its version Thursday
evening.
Both resolutions would allot billions more in discretionary spending for the 12
annual appropriations bills than the $991.6 billion proposed by the president,
with most of the added funds targeted to domestic programs such as education
and infrastructure. The plans also assume that 2001 and 2003 tax cuts will
expire as scheduled in 2010 or be fully offset if extended.
House Extends HEA
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a one-month extension of
the Higher Education Act of 1965, which was approved by the Senate on March 7
(S. 2733). Congress now has until April 30 to resolve differences between
the House- and Senate-passed reauthorization bills. A primary point of
contention is a "maintenance of effort"
(MOE) mandate on state higher education spending.
Congress Extends Farm Bill
The House and Senate voted to extend the 2002 farm bill until April 18.
Congressional leaders and the administration have agreed to a $10 billion
increase in the new farm bill; however, negotiations over spending allocations
and proposed offsets continue.
CMS Releases SCHIP Enrollment Data
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new enrollment
data for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). CMS reported
that 7.1 million children were enrolled in SCHIP at some point during federal
fiscal year 2007. This represents a 5.9% increase over the previous year.
The enrollment numbers are based on data submitted by
states and are available at www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalSCHIPPolicy.
House and Senate Committees Approve Budget Plans
The House and Senate budget committees have approved their respective budget
plans for FY 2009. Passed on party-line votes, both five-year plans would
balance the budget in FYs 2012 and 2013 while providing a one-year patch of the
alternative minimum tax (AMT). The House plan calls for the AMT patch to
be offset through the budget reconciliation process. The Senate bill creates a
reserve fund to provide up to $35 billion in additional stimulus spending
should the economic slowdown continue. The Senate bill also extends some of the
expiring 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, including marriage penalty relief, the child
tax credit and the 10% tax bracket. Both plans are expected to be debated in
their respective chambers next week.
SAMHSA Releases State-by-State Report
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) has released a new report with state-by-state
information on substance use and mental health problems. The report is
available at http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k6State/toc.cfm.
State-specific data can be found at http://oas.samhsa.gov/statesList.cfm.
CMS Clarifies Tamper-Proof Prescription Requirement
Beginning April 1, 2008, all written prescriptions for Medicaid recipients must
be on paper with at least one tamper-resistant feature as outlined by CMS and
defined by each state. Beginning October 1, 2008, these prescriptions must
be on paper that meets all three baseline characteristics of tamper-resistant
pads. CMS has outlined the three baseline characteristics as those that:
(1) prevent unauthorized copying of a completed or blank prescription form; (2)
prevent the erasure or modification of information written on the prescription
by the prescriber; or (3) prevent the use of
counterfeit prescription forms.Electronic
prescriptions, faxed prescriptions and prescriptions sent over the telephone
are exempt from this requirement.
Additional information on CMS's requirements can be found at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/DeficitReductionAct/30_GovtInfo.asp
House Passes Mental Health Parity Bill
Yesterday, the House yesterday passed H.R. 1424, which would require
health plans offering mental health coverage to provide the same benefits for
mental illness as they do for other medical conditions. It also would prevent
insurers from requiring larger co-payments or imposing lower reimbursement
ceilings for mental health conditions. The estimated cost to the federal
government is $4.3 billion over 10 years. One offset would increase the size of
prescription drug rebates that pharmaceutical companies must provide to state
Medicaid programs to 20.1% from December 31, 2008, through January 1, 2015. The
Senate passed its version of mental health parity legislation, S. 558, in
September 2007.
House Report Estimates Large Fiscal Impact of New Medicaid Regs
Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a
report detailing the impact of seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS). The report, The Administration's
Medicaid Regulations: State-by-State Impacts, is based on information
submitted by 43 states and the
Real ID Grant Deadline Extended
The Department of Homeland Security has extended the application deadline for
FY 2008 Real ID demonstration grants to April 4, 2008. Information and
guidance can be found at www.grants.gov.