I won't be posting the bill tracking list this week as there have been no real substantive changes since last week. We are anxiously awaiting the HCPF figure setting, which is set to occur on Tuesday, March 16th. We'll know then if the JBC is recommending the 10% cuts to APN/PAs or if they are willing to share the pain across all providers. It is bad policy to cut provider reimbursement rates to help balance the state's budget, but it is even worse policy to target specific provider types as a reason to cut reimbursement rates. Please see my post from March 2nd to learn more about this issue and how you can get involved.
At the federal level, the Senate passed H.R. 4213 Tax Extenders Act of 2009 (aka jobs bill) yesterday. This bill will extend a lot of expiring provisions which include extending the FMAP increase for an additional 6 months to June 30, 2011 and delaying Medicare physician cuts until October 1st 2010. The House passed a similar bill in December 2009. The two chambers will now have to reconcile the differences between the two bills before it is sent to President Obama. Currently, Medicare physician cuts are set to occur April 1st. Hopefully Congress can work through their differences and get this bill enacted prior to that time.
