Weekly Legislative & Regulatory Round-up
Week of January 31 - February 6
| GAO reports |
February 4, 2009
Estimated Temporary Medicaid Funding Allocations Related to Section
5001 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
| OIG reports |
Follow-Up Audit of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program in Alaska (A-09-08-00051)
Medicaid and Medicare Home Health Payments for Skilled Nursing and Home Health Aide Services(OEI-07-06-00641; 02/09)
| Bills introduced |
|
Number/ Title |
Date Introduced | Sponsor | Description |
S. 366 |
2/3/09 |
JOHN KERRY (D-MA) |
A bill to amend the Social Security Act to eliminate the 5-month waiting period for Social Security disability and the 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefits in the cases of individuals with disabling burn injuries; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
S. 369 |
2/3/09 |
HERBERT H KOHL (D-WI) |
A bill to prohibit brand name drug companies from compensating generic drug companies to delay the entry of a generic drug into the market; Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary |
H.R. 804 |
2/3/09 |
JOE BACA (D-CA) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to require the expansion, intensification, and coordination of research and other activities of the National Institutes of Health with respect to primary lateral sclerosis; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
S. 382 |
2/4/09 |
PATTY MURRAY (D-WA) |
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; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
H.R. 850 |
2/4/09 |
NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ (D-NY) |
A bill to encourage the development of small business cooperatives for healthcare options to improve coverage for employees (CHOICE) including through a small business CHOICE tax credit; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
H.R. 855 |
2/4/09 |
RANDY FORBES (R-VA) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize medical simulation enhancement programs, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 859 |
2/4/09 |
NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ (D-NY) |
A bill to encourage the development of small business cooperatives for healthcare options to improve coverage for employees (CHOICE) including through a small business CHOICE tax credit; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
H.R. 868 |
2/4/09 |
LOIS CAPPS (D-CA) |
A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide funds to States to enable them to increase the wages paid to targeted direct support professionals in providing services to individuals with disabilities under the Medicaid Program; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 872 |
2/4/09 |
DIANA DEGETTE (D-CO) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research, to direct the National Institutes of Health to issue guidelines for such stem cell research, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce |
H.R. 873 |
2/4/09 |
DIANA DEGETTE (D-CO) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 877 |
2/4/09 |
RANDY FORBES (R-VA) |
A bill to intensify stem cell research showing evidence of substantial clinical benefit to patients, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 902 |
2/4/09 |
ADAM SMITH (D-WA) |
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 rural areas; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 903 |
2/4/09 |
BART STUPAK (D-MI) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance the roles of dentists and allied dental personnel in the Nation's disaster response framework, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce |
H.R. 904 |
2/4/09 |
BART STUPAK (D-MI) |
A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to reduce the costs of prescription drugs for enrollees of Medicaid managed care organizations by extending the discounts offered under fee-for-service Medicaid to such organizations; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
S. 391 |
2/5/09 |
RON WYDEN (D-OR) |
A bill to provide affordable, guaranteed private health coverage that will make Americans healthier and can never be taken away; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| Federal Register notices |
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
State Flexibility for Medicaid Benefit Packages: Delay of Effective Date
ACTION: Interim final rule with comment period: delay of effective date
and reopening of the comment period.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2009, from
the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled
``Regulatory Review Plan,'' this action temporarily delays for 60 days
the effective date of the final rule entitled, Medicaid Program; State
Flexibility for Medicaid Benefit Packages'' published in the December
3, 2008 Federal Register (73 FR 73694). The temporary 60-day delay in
effective date is necessary to give Department officials the
opportunity for further review of the issues of law and policy raised
by this rule. In addition, this action reopens the comment period on
the policies set out in the December 3, 2008 final rule to allow
interested parties to provide comments about issues of law and policy
raised by the rule.
No relevant notices
No relevant reports
No relevant reports
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
TRICARE; Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS):
Delay of Effective Date and Additional Opportunity for Public Comment
ACTION: Final rule; delay of effective date and opportunity for public
SUMMARY: On December 10, 2008, DoD published a final rule implementing
the TRICARE Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), with
an effective date of February 9, 2009 (73 FR 74945). Since that date,
DoD has determined that in order for administrative claims processing
procedures to be fully in place to implement effectively the new OPPS
payments, TRICARE's OPPS will begin to apply to health care services
provided on or after May 1, 2009. In the meantime, a memorandum of
January 20, 2009, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of
Staff, entitled ``Regulatory Review,'' published in the Federal
Register on January 26, 2009, calls for agencies to consider delaying
effective dates of rules not yet effective and inviting new public
comment. In view of both of these developments, the Department is
delaying the effective date of TRICARE's OPPS until May 1, 2009, and is
inviting additional public comment on the final rule. Any timely public
comments received will be considered and any changes to the final rule
will be published in the Federal Register.
DATES: The effective date of the OPPS final rule published December 10,
2008 (73 FR 74945) is delayed until May 1, 2009. Comments must be
received on or before March 9, 2009.