| If Congress goes ahead with its health care reform | | | | Senate's cuts are slightly less drastic as compared to |
| package, home care providers will certainly feel the | | | | those in the House bill. But both the ways will spell |
| heat. After the House and Senate passed their | | | | payment reductions for providers. |
| respective reform bills, Congress' ability to send one | | | | More trouble: The Senate bill contains a separate |
| approved reform bill to the US president is looking | | | | provision that could auger bad news for home care |
| positive. | | | | providers. |
| In order to get the legislation to the president's desk by | | | | The Senate bill, besides out-and-out payment cuts, calls |
| his State of the Union soon, Democratic lawmakers | | | | for an advisory body similar to the Medicare Payment |
| are talking about unconventional ways of getting the bill | | | | Advisory Commission to set payment levels for |
| passed. | | | | Medicare providers. |
| While both bills contain tens of billions of dollars in cuts | | | | The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) |
| to home health agency and Medicare rates, observers | | | | would be presidentially appointed. NAHC protests that |
| say that the Senate bill is friendlier to the industry. This | | | | the bill would give IPAB too much power to the |
| time there are no reimbursement changes for 2010 | | | | Executive branch. Moreover, IPAB would not have |
| and 1 percent reductions in the inflation update in | | | | broad-based experience provided that it would |
| 2011-2013. | | | | comprise only 15 members appointed by the president. |
| One of the routes to approval that lawmakers are | | | | Moreover, unpredictability would reign from year to |
| thinking about is having the House pass a bill with the | | | | year as IPAB could change rules with little input from |
| changes made in the Senate version. This is owing to | | | | Congress or the public. In the meantime, as the health |
| the fact that the Senate had a much narrower margin | | | | reform package does not presently address durable |
| of victory for its legislation. After that, the Senate | | | | medical equipment suppliers' main concerns this year - |
| would approve the House-passed version and it could | | | | competitive bidding and oxygen caps - suppliers are |
| go to the president. | | | | rallying support for another bill, H.R 3790. |
| This could auger well for home care since the | | | | |