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Health Reform Update
The Senate is heading into what Democratic leaders hope will be the decisive week in the health care debate with floor action stalled by disputes over how to proceed with amendments, or crucial issues such as the public option or variations including an expansion of Medicare. The parties, together with individual Senators on both sides of the aisle, have been at an impasse since December 8 over how to amend the health care bill. |
| APA Comments on CMS' Proposed Rule on Protected Classes of Clinical Concern
On December 8, DGR filed APA's comments on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) proposed rule regarding the protected classes of clinical concern under Section 176 of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). CMS had released an interim final rule in January of 2009, but issued a revised proposed rule to clarify several aspects of the rule and make alterations to the process for identifying protected classes. Currently, CMS protects six drug classes of clinical concern from formulary management through guidance, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anticonvulsants. APA strongly advocated for continued protection of the existing protected classes and for a transparent regulatory process. APA also joined AMA in commenting separately on several issues in the proposed rule pertaining to the changes in the Medicare Advantage program. APA will continue to monitor for a final determination and remain involved wherever possible. View our complete comments:
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Recovery Act Awards
On December 9, President Obama announced nearly $600 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) awards to support major construction and renovation projects at 85 community health centers nationwide and help networks of health centers adopt Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other Health Information Technology (HIT) systems. The awards are expected to not only create new job opportunities in construction and health care but also help provide care for more than half a million additional patients in underserved communities. The President also announced a new demonstration initiative to support the delivery of advanced primary care to Medicare beneficiaries through community health centers. |
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