From our December 21, 2000, edition.

Thornberry votes for rural health care funds

WASHINGTON, D.C. – US Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) voted last week for legislation that will provide rural hospitals, nursing homes, home health care agencies, and other key providers with more than $35 billion in relief.

Thornberry said that the relief money is in response to the way the 1997 Balanced Budget Act was implemented.  It contained broad guidelines that agencies filled in with specific regulations. 

According to a press release, the regulations squeezed far more money out of payments to hospitals, home health care agencies, and other providers than was ever expected or intended. 

Efforts for relief were included earlier this year in legislation passed by the House of Representatives on October 26, but the Senate failed to act on the measure.

“I’m glad to see this bill pass,” Thornberry said.  “It got caught up earlier in election-year politics, but I’m glad we were able to put all that behind us and get this package approved. 

“While it’s not everything everybody wanted, it will be a boost for rural communities and something that should help a lot of hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers as we head into next year.”

The legislation, which was included as part of the FY 2001 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, passed the House by a vote of 292 to 60. Thornberry noted that the bill is the culmination of what he and other members of the Rural Health Care Coalition have been working on for the past 12 months.  Thornberry is on the Steering Committee of the Rural Health Care Coalition.  He stated that today’s bill is intended to put more money back into the Medicare system for rural providers, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Among other things, the bill would:

• Strengthen Rural Hospitals - Provides equitable treatment for rural disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) caring for a disproportionate share of poor Medicare patients; makes wage index improvements for rural areas; updates target amounts for all sole community hospitals; and increases rural patients’ access to emergency and ambulance services and rural health clinics.  All hospitals will receive the full market basket update.

• Enhance Home Health Hospital Provisions - Protects funding for home health services by delaying a scheduled 15% cut in payments in addition to other payment increases.  Provides for full medical inflation update for home health.  Hospice provisions also improve funding for end-of-life care. The plan also enhances the use of telehealth medicine in delivery of home health care services.

• Increase Access to Care for Nursing Home Patients - Maintains access to therapy services, and reduces regulatory burdens by eliminating some parts of consolidated billing.  In addition, the plan increases the Federal per diem rate for SNF “market baskets.”

The bill will now be sent to the Senate for a vote and is expected to be signed into law by the president.