CQ’s Carey Discusses Stem Cell Legislation, Medicare Payment Changes, Part B Premium Increase and Reimportation Legislation
Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses the ongoing debate over stem cell legislation, an effort to delay implementation of changes to Medicare's payment system, the expected increase in Medicare Part B premiums, and the Senate's approval of legislation allowing the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ." According to Carey, the Senate on Tuesday is expected to vote on three different measures related to stem cell research, including a House-passed bill that would allow federal funding for research on stem cells taken from surplus embryos at in vitro fertilization clinics. Carey also discusses an effort by lawmakers from both parties in the House and Senate to delay by one year proposed changes to Medicare payments for hospital procedures. She says pressure is building for the delay, which is backed by leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the Advanced Medical Technology Association. In addition, Carey examines CMS's announcement last week that Medicare Part B monthly premiums will rise 11.2% next year, as well as data that show Medicare spending growth increasing while Medicaid spending growth slows. Finally, she discusses the Senate's approval of legislation that would allow U.S. citizens to reimport prescription drugs from Canada for personal use. According to Carey, the House has backed the same position, although the Bush administration has previously opposed bills allowing reimportation (Carey, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 7/17).
The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online.
