FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: (202) 225-3943
September 24, 1999
No. HL-10
Congressman Bill Thomas (R-CA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on refinements to the Medicare provisions included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-33). The hearing will take place on Friday, October 1, 1999, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
The Medicare provisions in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) contained more than 300 provisions related to the programs administered by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), and represented the most extensive Medicare reforms since the enactment of the program in 1965. Among the positive changes were Medicare's expanded coverage of preventive benefits, additional choices for seniors through the new Medicare+Choice program, new tools to combat health care waste, fraud and abuse, and many initiatives to modernize and strengthen Medicare's fee-for-service payment systems. New payment methodologies were established affecting virtually every segment of the health care industry including managed care plans, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies.
In many cases, however, HCFA has missed deadlines for implementing policies or developed policies in need of refinement. In addition, meeting the year 2000 computer challenges has continued to create a series of delays for HCFA in implementing the remaining major payment systems and changes required by the BBA.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Thomas stated: "When this landmark legislation was adopted in 1997, Congress relied on the data and estimates available at the time, and expected the Administration to provide us with the necessary monitoring and feedback on the operation of these reforms. Not unexpectedly, with sweeping legislation that makes major revisions in Medicare payment policies, some refinements are needed. This refinement process should be a shared responsibility between the Administration and Congress. Where changes can be made through administrative action, the Administration should make them. Where it is necessary to make legislative changes, Congress should certainly do its part to make sure beneficiaries receive the health care services they depend on."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will provide the opportunity to hear from the Administration, Congressional advisory bodies, and providers about the implementation, impact, and proposed refinements to BBA policies.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect 5.1 format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Friday, October 15, 1999, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Health office, room 1136 Longworth House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect 5.1 format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.