Levin Opening Statement at Markup of Important Health Care Legislation
I'm pleased that the Committee, in the spirit of bipartisanship, is marking up these four health care bills.
The approach before us today reflects the way this Committee should operate, allowing for public comment on a discussion draft, stakeholder meetings, technical advice, and bipartisan collaboration. I hope we can continue to work in such a fashion on other policies within our jurisdiction.
These bills contain important member priorities.
We do not have formal scores from CBO. CBO has indicated that they expect these bills to be revenue neutral. However, it is important to get and understand these scores before these bills move forward.
The Program Integrity bill, re-introduced two days ago by Jim McDermott and Kevin Brady with 26 bipartisan co-sponsors, contains a number of provisions supported by both Democrats and Republicans on the Committee that make important improvements to the Medicare program. These include removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards, which protects people from identity theft; increasing protections against wrongful payments in the Medicare program; and preventing prescription drug abuse.
Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem, but we need to be sure that we're not making it harder for beneficiaries to get the medications they need. This is a very important principle for me – and for many members of the committee. This language includes strong beneficiary protections to ensure this doesn't happen.
The electronic health record bill, championed in the Committee by Reps. Black and Sanchez, is a positive development. We have put a lot of time, effort, and resources into electronic health records and want them to be successful. This bill is a step in helping to make the meaningful use program accessible to more providers.
The durable medical equipment competitive bidding program has reduced well-documented overpayments to DME providers, and is estimated to result in more than $17 billion in out-of-pocket savings for beneficiaries as well.
The durable medical equipment legislation introduced in the Committee by Reps. Tiberi and Larson addresses the issue of low-ball bidders by requiring bonds for companies wishing to participate in the program, importantly without disruption to the program or beneficiary services. I also hope that this bonding requirement does not impose hardship on small or rural DME providers. There is a provision in the bill requiring a close examination of this point.
I also think the NOTICE Act, led in the Committee by Reps. Doggett and Young, is a very positive step in the right direction. Requiring hospitals to let patients know when they are in observation status (for more than 24 hours) will give beneficiaries and their families the information they need when considering future care and costs.
There has been a large rise in patients stuck in outpatient observation status without knowing it, because their care resembles an inpatient stay. This status can have serious implications for both cost-sharing and qualifying for a post-hospital stay in a skilled nursing facility.
I hope that we can get these to the floor quickly and send them over to the Senate.
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