Senate Finally Passes Medicare Bill H.R.6331

The Senate passed H.R.6331 Medicare Bill, on July 9, with a veto-proof 69-30 vote. President Bush had threatened a veto because of cuts to Medicare Advantage Plans. The House had previously passed the bill by a veto-proof margin of 355-59.

The bill delays competitive bidding of durable medical equipment (including oxygen) for 18-24 months. To pay for the delay, the DME industry agreed to a 9.5% cut on all items included in the first 10 bid areas.

Good News for Medicare Beneficiaries

There are several reasons this bill is good news for Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Bill eliminates a 10% cut in physician reimbursement that threatened to limit access to care for countless beneficiaries. The bill also eliminates title transfer of oxygen equipment after the 36-month cap, thereby maintaining the patient/provider relationship.

There were know further cuts to the oxygen and power mobility benefit, which also threatened to limit access to needed treatments and equipment.

The President has 10 days to sign or veto the bill but is expected to act much sooner. Regardless of the President’s action this bill is almost assuredly going to become law.

Expect the next Adminstration and Congress to act quickly next year on a broad Medicare Reform package. This bill simply stops some bleeding but falls short of fixing other long-term deficiencies.

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