S. 3101 would amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to extend expiring provisions under the Medicare program, to improve beneficiary access to preventive and mental health services, to enhance low-income benefit programs, and to maintain access to care in rural areas, including pharmacy access.
Detailed Summary
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services.
Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services.
Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans.
Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies.
Extends the qualifying individual program.
Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program.
Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers.
Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas.
Permits rebasing for sole community hospitals.
Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for development and testing of new community health integration models in certain rural counties.
Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to extend through FY2009 the reclassification of certain hospitals.
Increases physicians' payments. Revises requirements for and extends the quality reporting system, including incentive payments.
Directs the Secretary to establish a Physician Feedback Program.
Provides for: (1) incentives for electronic prescribing of medicine; (2) expanded access to primary care services; (3) extension of the floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and (4) an accreditation requirement for advanced diagnostic imaging services.
Revises requirements for Medicare anesthesia teaching programs.
Makes permanent the exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces.
Provides for coverage of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation.
Revises payment rules for power-driven wheelchairs.
Extends increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services.
Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary to establish pilot projects with respect to chronic kidney disease.
Revises requirements for renal dialysis.
Provides for phase-out of indirect costs of medical education from capitation rates.
Revises requirements for MA private fee-for-service plans as well as MA plans for special needs individuals.
Modifies requirements for quality improvement programs.
Requires prompt payment of clean claims by prescription drug plans and MA-Prescription Drug plans under Medicare part D.
Revises the definition of medically accepted indication for drugs.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with a consensus-based entity for certain activities relating to health care performance measurement; and (2) evaluate and report to Congress on approaches for the collection of data regarding health care disparities.
Creates the Medicare Improvement Fund.
Extends the transitional medical assistance (TMA), the abstinence education program, and allotments for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHes) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid).
Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend supplemental grants under SSA title IV part (Temporary Assistance for Needy Family) (TANF), as well as special diabetes grant programs.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 6/12/2008: Senate floor actions. Status: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure withdrawn in Senate.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
darrin
ok
JJ
I think after this bill was tabled it was “re-submitted” with some modifications as S. 3144, which matches HR 6252.
frank tells
I FEEL THAT THE MEDICARE BILL VOTED ON JULY 1, 2008 IS NOT BENEFICIAL TO PHYSICAL THERAPY PATIENTS. THE BILL SHOULD BE VOTED DOWN BECAUSE IT LIMITS THE NUMBER OF VISITS ALLOWED FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY. THE PATIENTS MEDICAL WELL BEING WILL BE JEOPARDIZED.
Concerned Senior
Section 167 - Access to Medicare Reasonable Cost Contract Plans
Unfortuantely we are seeing the cost contract with Rocky Mountain HMO in Western CO being used to pay doctors 130-140% of the Medicare Assignment Rate. This giving doctors an excuse to exercise legal discrimination against low income seniors by not accepting medicare advantage plans. The fact that these very expensive medicare cost contracts are being used to discriminate against low income seniors while trying to rid out medicare advantage competitors for the sake of preserving their cost contract is deeply concerning and disturbing to the taxpayer footing the bill.