In a letter to HCFA, Reps. Johnson, Stark Suggest Medicare ‘Modernizations’ That Need No Congressional Approval

House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) and ranking member Pete Stark (D-Calif.) on May 15 jointly submitted to HCFA a 17-page list of Medicare reforms that the agency could make without "new legislative authority," CongressDaily/AM reports. The list includes a number of initiatives that do not require congressional approval -- some of which HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson has "already called for" -- including implementation of a double-entry bookkeeping system, a schedule for issuing new regulations and program changes, "streamlining" cost reporting and other requirements for providers and consolidating regulatory authority for the Medicare+Choice program in one office. Johnson and Stark wrote in a letter to Thompson, "Many changes to the program that we think are necessary, such as integrating a prescription drug benefit, require legislative action. However, a number of modernizations can be made administratively. There is no reason to delay sensible changes which will make Medicare more responsive to beneficiaries and the providers that serve them, if they can be implemented immediately" (Rovner, CongressDaily/AM, 5/16). In a statement, Congressman Stark added that change is needed so that "health professionals [can] focus on caring for patients rather than dealing with confusing regulations" (Stark release, 5/15). CongressDaily/AM notes that health care industry officials were "quick to praise the effort." Laura Thevenot, executive vice president and COO of the Federation of American Hospitals, said, "Caring for the nation's poor and elderly is simply not a partisan issue, and the leadership shown by Reps. Johnson and Stark is a great step forward." Association of American Health Plans President and CEO Karen Ignagni added, "By working together in a bipartisan fashion to outline these recommendations for improving and streamlining the regulation and oversight of Medicare, Reps. Johnson and Stark have launched a process that we hope will lead to an environment in which Medicare -- and Medicare+Choice -- can thrive." However, Stark said that the changes "aren't going to happen unless HCFA gets the resources it needs to do the job" (CongressDaily/AM, 5/16).