Medicare regulatory relief gaining momentum in Congress

Paperwork reduction bills could pass a House vote with co-sponsors alone.

By Markian Hawryluk, AMNews staff. Sept. 10, 2001.

Washington -- Prospects are good for passage of a Medicare regulatory relief measure this fall, according to health care policy analysts.

As Congress returns from its August hiatus, key lawmakers have expressed commitments to act upon legislation that would streamline Medicare regulations for physicians and others, strengthen due process rights, and provide for more effective education and guidance.

The Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act, backed by the AMA and other health care groups, has attracted 237 co-sponsors in the House and 37 co-sponsors in the Senate.

"The AMA is optimistic that something will come out of Congress to help decrease the administrative burden physicians are under to try to provide health care to Medicare beneficiaries," said Jim Rohack, MD, an AMA trustee and a cardiologist practicing in Temple, Texas. "We're encouraged because the administration has indicated that it wants to keep health care dollars to take care of patients and not unnecessary paper shuffling and waste of those precious resources."

The large number of Senate and House co-sponsors indicates "that there is momentum to get something done," he added.

The idea of regulatory relief has garnered support from the chairs of the committees that deal with Medicare issues -- Senate Finance, House Ways and Means, and House Energy and Commerce.

A representative of Sen. Frank Murkowski (R, Alaska), MERFA's sponsor, said the senator was working with Senate Finance Committee leaders to include the regulatory relief measure within the context of a broader Medicare reform package this fall. That package is likely to include long-term Medicare reform proposals, as well as an outpatient prescription drug benefit. The committee was still working on finalizing the measure in the final week of August. [...]