by Administrator
10. February 2010 01:44
Progress Seen on Addressing Therapy Cap Problem
Although snowstorms have wreaked havoc on the NASL Winter Legislative and Regulatory Conference while bringing most of Washington to its knees, Capitol Hill is still working behind the scenes on legislation to address several key Medicare issues.. Text of a proposed Senate “jobs bill” was released today, which includes three Medicare provisions important to NASL members:
- Extension of the therapy cap exceptions process through December 31, 2010 (Sec. 613, Page 107)
- Extension of the current level in the Physician Fee Schedule through September 30, 2010 (Sec. 612, Page 107)
- Extension of the GPCI (rural payments) floor through December 31, 2010 (Sec. 617, Page 113)
Senate Democrats hope to add Republican support to the bill, which includes a number of tax provisions, and there appears to be sufficient support for quick passage of the bill.
Unfortunately, the approaching winter storm that forced NASL to postpone the Winter Conference also prompted the House to cancel floor votes for the rest of this week. Next week is a scheduled district work period to commemorate the President’s Day holiday. While there had been hope that this legislation might reach the Senate floor by the end of the week, action probably will not be completed until the House and Senate reconvene the week of February 22. However, it appears that we are finally moving closer to restoring access to therapy services for Medicare beneficiaries.
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