The AP (12/5, Werner)
reported that Senate Democrats "are taking aim at insurance
industry executive pay as they jockey for political advantage in
a rare weekend session" on healthcare reform. Republicans,
meanwhile, "are showcasing the bill's cuts to Medicare, seeking
to undermine support for the legislation among older Americans
and others as partisan debate rages over the sweeping remake of
one-sixth of the nation's economy."
The Washington Post
(12/5, Montgomery, Murray) noted that GOP senators "continued
their assault" on funding sources for reform, "targeting
Democratic plans to cut payments to private insurers who serve
Medicare patients and to create a new government insurance
program for long-term care that would raise more than $70
billion over the next decade." Democrats" beat back both
efforts. They voted 57 to 41 to preserve more than $120 billion
in cuts to the Medicare Advantage program." The Senate "also
voted to keep provisions to establish the Community Living
Assistance Services and Support Act, or Class Act, despite
concerns among centrist Democrats that the program would quickly
run out of cash."
CQ Today (12/7,
Vadala, Ethridge, subscription required) says, "The Senate
rejected an amendment to its healthcare overhaul bill Sunday
that would limit tax deductions for insurance executives'
salaries. In a 56-42 vote, the Senate fell four votes short of
the 60-vote threshold needed to adopt the amendment from Blanche
Lincoln (D-AR) to limit the amount health insurance companies
are allowed to deduct per executive, from $1 million annually to
$400,000 annually -- or whatever the compensation of the US
President was for that year." Notably, "any savings from the
amendment would have been required to go to the Medicare Trust
Fund."
The
New York Times (12/6,
A35, Pear) reported, "By a vote of 53 to 41, the Senate on
Saturday rejected a Republican effort to block cutbacks in
payments to home health agencies that provide nursing care and
therapy to homebound Medicare beneficiaries." Republicans argued
that the cuts "would hurt some of the nation's most vulnerable
citizens. Most Democrats supported the cutbacks, saying they
would eliminate waste and inefficiency in home care. The
Democrats' healthcare bill would reduce projected Medicare
spending on home care by $43 billion, or 13 percent, over the
next 10 years. The savings would help offset the cost of
subsidizing coverage for the uninsured."
The
AP (12/6, Werner)
reported, "Senate Republicans forced Democrats to vote in favor
of cutting billions from providers of home care for older people
as partisan debate flared Saturday during a rare weekend session
on President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul." Notably,
"Democrats said those cuts, and others to Medicare private
insurance plans and providers, would reduce overpayments,
inefficiency, and waste in the popular program, thereby
strengthening it." They pointed out that "AARP supports the
overall cuts, and also produced a letter from the National
Association for Home Care and Hospice in support."
Home care patients, providers concerned about reform.
The
New York Times (12/5, A1,
Pear) has a front-page feature on concerns by home care patients
about possible funding changes. Medicare patients and nurses
"are anxiously following the Congressional debate because its
outcome could affect Medicare's popular home health benefit in a
big way. The legislation would reduce Medicare spending on home
health services, a lifeline for homebound Medicare
beneficiaries, which keeps them out of hospitals and nursing
homes." The impact of the legislation "on Medicare beneficiaries
has been a pervasive theme in the first week of Senate debate,
which is scheduled to continue through the weekend."
President Obama's Sunday visit to Capitol Hill to discuss
healthcare reform efforts with the Senate Democratic caucus led
all three network newscasts and garners front-page headlines
this morning. The
AP (12/7,
Alonso-Zaldivar) reports that "White House spokesman Bill Burton
said Obama thanked lawmakers for their work and encouraged them
to move ahead on 'this historic opportunity,'" but the story,
particularly on TV, generated decidedly mixed coverage for the
President, with some reports noting criticism of the gathering
and downplaying its importance. ABC World News (12/6,
lead story, 2:10, Harris), for example, reported, "The hard
facts for the President are that he still does not have the 60
votes he needs, and that [Sunday's] private, Democrats-only
meeting is giving Republicans a chance to argue that the
President is pursuing a purely partisan strategy here."
USA Today (12/7, Fritze)
reports that "the President's effort to rally wavering
senators...came as one Democrat prepared to reignite a fight
over abortion and others met privately in search of an agreement
on a proposed government-run insurance program that has so far
proved elusive." And "divisions remain in the Democratic caucus
over how to structure the proposed government insurance program,
known as the public option."
The
Washington Post (12/7,
Murray, Montgomery) reports that "Obama made no mention of a
government-run insurance plan, abortion, or other key issues
that lawmakers are attempting to resolve," but Democrats "said
they hope" the President's "address will lend fresh momentum on
the eve of what could prove to be a make-or-break week." The
New York Times (12/7,
Herszenhorn, Pear),
Bloomberg News
Washington Times (12/7,
Haberkorn) also cover the story.
Medicare recipients worry about loss of services.
The CBS Evening News (12/6, story 2, 2:20, Mitchell)
reported, "Republicans tried and failed to block cuts to home
healthcare agencies in the Senate bill. Democrats say the cuts
would trim projected Medicare spending by some $42 billion." CBS
also noted that some Medicare recipients are concerned they will
lose services. CBS (Doan) added, "In an effort to raise funds to
insure more Americans, home healthcare services may take a
disproportionate hit. While they currently make up about 4% of
Medicare spending, Congress would seek to extract nearly 10% of
overall savings from home healthcare services."
The
Washington Post (12/6,
Montgomery, Murray) reported, "On the floor and behind closed
doors, the Senate wrestled Saturday with amendments that would
impose additional cost-control requirements on hospitals,
doctors and drug companies, squeezing out savings beyond the
considerable sums those groups had already volunteered to give
up. Of particular concern to seniors groups is an effort to
strengthen a new independent board that would determine the
future of Medicare, raising the possibility of
[deeper-than-expected] cuts." These and other issues that have
attracted less public attention "pose a direct threat to deals
cut by the White House months ago to appease...industry groups
whose opposition proved lethal to President Bill Clinton's 1994
quest for healthcare reform. ... Many Democrats view [those
agreements] as overly generous."
Drug industry facing pressure to provide deeper discounts as
part of health reform.
Overhaul may broaden definition of healthcare.
The
Los Angeles Times (12/6,
Geiger, Hamburger) reported, "Acupuncturists, dietary-supplement
maker, and other alternative health practitioners, some of whose
treatments are considered unproven by the medical establishment,
would be brought more squarely into the mainstream of American
medicine under the health legislation now before the Senate."
The current bill "would allow doctors to incorporate alternative
health providers in some treatment plans. It also includes
language that some believe could require insurance companies to
expand their coverage for alternative therapies." However,
"insurers and some scientific watchdogs say the measure would
undermine one of the central principles of the healthcare
overhaul: That the system cut costs by eliminating medical
treatments that aren't proven effective."
Medical discrimination laws go into effect.
McClatchy (12/7, Hunt)
reports the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008
will go into effect on Monday, and will prohibit "insurance
companies from using family medical histories or genetic testing
to deny medical insurance or set rates." In addition, a separate
provision, prohibiting employers from using genetic information
in hiring practices, "went into effect Saturday." Linda
Robinson, a genetic counselor supervisor with the University of
Texas said the new law could "really ease concerns about
discrimination that is keeping people from getting these genetic
tests."
Kaiser to pay $3.75m to settle allegations of false Medicare,
Medicaid claims.
The
Los Angeles Times (12/4,
Girion) noted that payment rules "require providers to record
the presence of teaching physicians in patients' records in
order to bill for services rendered by residents" and pointed
out that this is "not the first time Kaiser has been sanctioned
over submitting false bills to the government." In 2005,
Kaiser's "Hawaii units were assessed $1.9 million in fines for
submitting bills to Medicare and Medicaid for dermatology
treatments that the government said were provided by an employee
who was not a licensed physician's assistant."
According to the
San Francisco Chronicle
(12/4, C2, Egelko), Kaiser denied liability in the latest
allegations and "said it was settling to avoid the uncertainty
of a court case." The settlement "announced Thursday, apportions
$3.4 million to the federal government and $350,000 to the
state."
