Congressional Record—House H8128
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H8128 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 19, 2007 saying is if you’re going to ask the DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, the opportunity to join in bipartisan American taxpayers to pay for your fi- HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, sponsorship of this amendment. nancial assistance, that you should be AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED This amendment prevents the Cen- proficient enough in the language of AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ters for Medicare and Medicaid Serv- this country to fill out the application. ACT, 2008 ices from cutting $24 billion in funding Now, you don’t have to be a rocket sci- The Committee resumed its sitting. for our local hospitals, funding that’s entist to figure that out. And we can used to provide care to seniors disabled AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. LEWIS OF throw all these other little things in GEORGIA under Medicare. In my district alone this would mean a loss of $60 million in there about the people that won’t get Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chair- reimbursement for my local hospitals, to apply and blah, blah, blah, blah, man, I offer an amendment. blah. It doesn’t matter. The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk having a devastating effect on the All this amendment says is if you’re will designate the amendment. quality of care. A key misstep in the proposed rule is going to ask the Federal Government The text of the amendment is as fol- the 2.4 percent so-called behavior offset to help with financial aid for your col- lows: lege education that we hope you suc- payment cut. CMS proposed this cut to Amendment offered by Mr. LEWIS of Geor- eliminate what the agency has inac- ceed in, and that we want you to excel gia: in, that you can at least speak the lan- At the end of the bill (before the short curately claimed will be the effect of guage of this country. That’s all we’re title) insert the following: greater use of coding as hospitals move saying. TITLE VI to a new system. These extreme cuts in reimbursements, based on speculation This is a very simple amendment. ADDITIONAL GENERAL PROVISIONS There’s been so much rhetoric over rather than fact, will impose an added SEC. 601. None of the funds made available burden on all hospitals. there. I guess, you know, evidently, in this Act may be used to take any action they’re taking this for something that to finalize (or otherwise implement) provi- Earlier this year my friend and col- it’s not. Very simple, Mr. Chairman. sions contained in the proposed rule pub- league JOHN LEWIS and I circulated a Very, very simple. Do we want to make lished on May 3, 2007, on pages 24680 through letter in opposition to these Draconian sure that our taxpayers’ dollars go to 25135 of volume 72, Federal Register, insofar cuts. The response was overwhelming, students who are legal citizens of this as such provisions propose— with 269 Members of this House going country, who have a GED or a high (1) to alter payments for services under the on the record against this devastating school education, that are applying for hospital inpatient prospective payment sys- cut to our local hospitals. This is over- tem under section 1886(d) of the Social Secu- whelming bipartisan opposition to this financial aid to go to a college in this rity Act (42 U.S.C 1395ww(d)) based on use of country to be proficient enough in a Medicare severity diagnosis related group bad policy proposed by CMS. English to fill the application out in (MS–DRG) system; or Mr. Chairman, I will include this let- English? It’s very simple. (2) to implement a prospective behavioral ter in the RECORD in support of this I won’t belabor this. And I know the offset in response to the implementation of amendment. chairman of the Appropriations Com- such a Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related The amendment also prohibits CMS mittee is trying to get as many of Group (MS–DRG) system for purposes of such from prospectively applying any behav- these amendments out of the way as hospital inpatient prospective payment sys- ioral offset in fiscal year 2008, ensuring tem. you can. But I certainly hope that my that any adjustments made for coding colleagues, and especially all the col- The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to changes will be based on the actual ex- leagues who are interested in pro- the order of the House of Wednesday, periences of the hospital, not mere con- tecting the hard taxpayers’ dollars of July 18, 2007, the gentleman from Geor- jecture. this country, and who are interested in gia and a Member opposed each will I ask my colleagues to join us in bi- getting as many students financial aid control 5 minutes. partisan support of this effort to pro- that need it, that have the best oppor- The Chair recognizes the gentleman hibit the use of any funds to implement tunity to go forward and succeed in from Georgia. these Draconian provisions of the IPPS their college education and spend the Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chair- rule that will place hospitals under money wisely, that they would support man, I would like to thank my col- undue financial burden, compromising this amendment. leagues and friends, PETER WELCH of the quality of care our constituents de- Mr. Chairman, I yield back the bal- Vermont and JERRY WELLER from Illi- serve. ance of my time. nois, for joining me in offering this im- In order to prevent these local hos- portant amendment. pitals and protect our constituents, I The Acting CHAIRMAN (Mr. LYNCH). The question is on the amendment of- Mr. Chairman, hospitals need more ask my colleagues to vote in a bipar- fered by the gentleman from Georgia than just 2 months to change their cod- tisan ‘‘yes.’’ ing system. It’s too much too soon. (Mr. WESTMORELAND). CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, The question was taken; and the Act- CMS needs to give them the time they Washington, DC, June 12, 2007. Re CMS Proposed Inpatient Prospective Pay- ing Chairman announced that the noes need. In addition, we must not allow CMS to implement this behavior offset. ment Rule appeared to have it. Ms. LESLIE V. NORWALK, Esquire, Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Chair- I’ve talked to hospitals in my dis- trict. They’re doing everything right Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare and man, I demand a recorded vote. Medicaid Services (CMS), Washington, DC. when it comes to coding and charging The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to DEAR MS. NORWALK: We write to express clause 6 of rule XVIII, further pro- Medicare. This cut will punish the hos- our strong opposition to two provisions in ceedings on the amendment offered by pital before they’ve done anything the proposed Inpatient Prospective Payment the gentleman from Georgia will be wrong. 269 Members of the House feel System (IPPS) regulation. We respectfully the same way. request that these provisions be excluded postponed. from the final regulation. The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Com- Mr. WELLER and I sent a letter to CMS on June 12, along with 267 of our The first provision would impose a 2.4 per- mittee will rise informally. cent cut to all operating and capital pay- colleagues and 63 Senators urging CMS The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. WELCH ments for inpatient hospital services for of Vermont) assumed the chair. not to make this $24 billion cut. Hos- Medicare patients based on the misguided pitals do not deserve a $24 billion cut. premise of a so-called ‘‘behavioral offset.’’ f I ask my colleagues to support this This unwarranted proposal would result in amendment and help our hospitals. payment reductions for hospital services in MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Mr. Chairman, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to both FY08 and FY09, cutting $24 billion dol- A message in writing from the Presi- the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. lars in operating and capital payments over the next five years. dent of the United States was commu- WELLER). The second proposal would reduce pay- nicated to the House by Ms. Wanda Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Mr. Chair- ments to hospitals in urban areas for capital- Evans, one of his secretaries. man, I rise in support of this amend- related costs for inpatient hospital services, The SPEAKER pro tempore. The ment. And first let me thank my col- cutting payments by nearly $1 billion over Committee will resume its sitting. leagues, JOHN LEWIS, PETER WELCH, for the next five years. We urge you to eliminate VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:47 Jul 20, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K19JY7.014 H19JYPT1 hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMHOUSE July 19, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H8129 both provisions when the final regulation is tions reinforced this sentiment by rejecting HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COSIGNERS OF THE CMS published. those cuts. The administration’s attempt to PROPOSED INPATIENT PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT RULE Please allow us to further explain our achieve payment reductions of this mag- LETTER—Continued strong objection to these changes: nitude through the regulatory process is 1. Cuts due to a ‘‘Behavioral Offset.’’ The equally unacceptable. We believe this action Member State suggestion to cut hospital operating and cap- circumvents Congress’ intent that hospital ital payments is based on the suggested services for Medicare patients not be re- 70. Jo Ann Emerson ............................................... (MO) adoption of a classification system called 71. Eliot Engel ....................................................... (NY) duced. 72. Phil English ..................................................... (PA) Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups In closing, we would like to reiterate our 73.