US House Passes Health Reform Legislation
NAAOP
Description
Collection
Title:
US House Passes Health Reform Legislation
Creator:
NAAOP
Date:
3/23/2010
Text:
US House Passes Health Reform Legislation
Reconciliation Process and Last-Minute Deal Create Challenges for O&P Field
The U.S. House of Representatives passed health care reform legislation on
Sunday, March 21st, after an intense and controversial weekend of
last-minute negotiations to persuade wavering Democrats to vote for the
bill. With a vote of 219 to 212, the House first passed the Senate health
reform bill as is, and then proceeded to pass a package of amendments (i.e.,
the Reconciliation bill) by a vote of 220 to 211 that modified the
just-passed health reform bill.
The health reform bill will now be sent to the President for his signature
which is expected to occur on Tuesday while the Reconciliation bill, which
also includes a significant set of changes to the student loan program, will
go to the Senate. The Senate is expected to debate the bill this coming week
and while passage has been forecasted by Democratic leaders, many challenges
remain. Multiple amendments to the Reconciliation bill are expected to be
offered which may necessitate a return of the bill to the House for another
vote.
The Senate amendment process may be necessary to modify a provision that was
agreed-to late last week when a group of Congressmen representing districts
with a heavy presence of medical device manufacturers convinced House
leadership and the White House to reduce the amount of the new tax of 2.9%
on Class II and Class III medical devices to 2.3% in exchange for expanding
the base of this new tax to Class I medical devices as well. This means that
O&P manufacturers and companies that import Class I medical devices will be
subject to a tax that for the past 10 months during the course of the health
reform debate did not materially impact orthotics and prosthetics. This is
very disturbing news that NAAOP will be working with other O&P partners to
change.
In addition, resorting to the Reconciliation process had the impact of
eliminating the House-passed language that explicitly clarified coverage for
durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and related supplies in
the standard benefits package that health plans must offer. The final bill
does cover rehabilitation services and devices which has always been
viewed as including coverage of O&P care. But this means that additional
efforts will be required throughout the regulatory process to ensure that
O&P is a covered benefit in the standard benefits package. NAAOP is working
with the O&P Alliance and many other organizations to lay a foundation for
this through the bill's legislative history.
The underlying health reform bill will soon become law, but the
Reconciliation bill is still very much in play. Significant efforts will be
needed this week to attempt to improve this bill, especially with respect to
the new tax on Class I medical devices.
Please visit our website at: www.naaop.org
NAAOP
1501 M Street, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-1700
e-mail: <Email Address Redacted>
(800) 622-6740
(202) 624-0064 Phone
(202) 785-1756 Fax
www.naaop.org
Reconciliation Process and Last-Minute Deal Create Challenges for O&P Field
The U.S. House of Representatives passed health care reform legislation on
Sunday, March 21st, after an intense and controversial weekend of
last-minute negotiations to persuade wavering Democrats to vote for the
bill. With a vote of 219 to 212, the House first passed the Senate health
reform bill as is, and then proceeded to pass a package of amendments (i.e.,
the Reconciliation bill) by a vote of 220 to 211 that modified the
just-passed health reform bill.
The health reform bill will now be sent to the President for his signature
which is expected to occur on Tuesday while the Reconciliation bill, which
also includes a significant set of changes to the student loan program, will
go to the Senate. The Senate is expected to debate the bill this coming week
and while passage has been forecasted by Democratic leaders, many challenges
remain. Multiple amendments to the Reconciliation bill are expected to be
offered which may necessitate a return of the bill to the House for another
vote.
The Senate amendment process may be necessary to modify a provision that was
agreed-to late last week when a group of Congressmen representing districts
with a heavy presence of medical device manufacturers convinced House
leadership and the White House to reduce the amount of the new tax of 2.9%
on Class II and Class III medical devices to 2.3% in exchange for expanding
the base of this new tax to Class I medical devices as well. This means that
O&P manufacturers and companies that import Class I medical devices will be
subject to a tax that for the past 10 months during the course of the health
reform debate did not materially impact orthotics and prosthetics. This is
very disturbing news that NAAOP will be working with other O&P partners to
change.
In addition, resorting to the Reconciliation process had the impact of
eliminating the House-passed language that explicitly clarified coverage for
durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and related supplies in
the standard benefits package that health plans must offer. The final bill
does cover rehabilitation services and devices which has always been
viewed as including coverage of O&P care. But this means that additional
efforts will be required throughout the regulatory process to ensure that
O&P is a covered benefit in the standard benefits package. NAAOP is working
with the O&P Alliance and many other organizations to lay a foundation for
this through the bill's legislative history.
The underlying health reform bill will soon become law, but the
Reconciliation bill is still very much in play. Significant efforts will be
needed this week to attempt to improve this bill, especially with respect to
the new tax on Class I medical devices.
Please visit our website at: www.naaop.org
NAAOP
1501 M Street, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-1700
e-mail: <Email Address Redacted>
(800) 622-6740
(202) 624-0064 Phone
(202) 785-1756 Fax
www.naaop.org
Citation
NAAOP, “US House Passes Health Reform Legislation,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 23, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/231339.
