Leadership change on the Hill
There will be serious ramifications in the aftermath of their midterm elections with the Democratic sweep. This will be felt especially in the area of Healthcare. Some changes have the potential of improving some situations while others could be devastating. Some Democrats will reclaim certain key roles in the influential healthcare panels in the House and Senate while others will lose.
Pete Stark (D-Calif.), will be taking over the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee which Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) had chaired. She was one of the architects of the Medicare Part D prescription-drug bill and a force behind the healthcare information technology bill H.R. 4751. The House Energy and Commerce panel will be taken over by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.).
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who currently chairs the Senate Finance Committee, will trade places with former ranking member Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel, former ranking member Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) will switch with Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.).
Republicans who lost their seats include Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R-Fla.), who pushed for medical malpractice reform and broadening insurance coverage options, and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), a member of the Senate Finance healthcare panel.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) states they are committed to working with the new committee chairs and expects a smooth transition from one party to the next. Of course money can influence both parties as we all know.
Specialty hospitals are unsure of how the new leadership will impact them but it is unlikely there will be any major changes very quickly.
Hopefully, the recent Bill proposed reversing the 5.1% Medicare rate reduction will lead to some serious and well needed changes, but the rest of the Bill that passed could cause more problems. We will keep our fingers crossed, but we remain skeptical.
Pete Stark (D-Calif.), will be taking over the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee which Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) had chaired. She was one of the architects of the Medicare Part D prescription-drug bill and a force behind the healthcare information technology bill H.R. 4751. The House Energy and Commerce panel will be taken over by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.).
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who currently chairs the Senate Finance Committee, will trade places with former ranking member Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel, former ranking member Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) will switch with Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.).
Republicans who lost their seats include Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R-Fla.), who pushed for medical malpractice reform and broadening insurance coverage options, and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), a member of the Senate Finance healthcare panel.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) states they are committed to working with the new committee chairs and expects a smooth transition from one party to the next. Of course money can influence both parties as we all know.
Specialty hospitals are unsure of how the new leadership will impact them but it is unlikely there will be any major changes very quickly.
Hopefully, the recent Bill proposed reversing the 5.1% Medicare rate reduction will lead to some serious and well needed changes, but the rest of the Bill that passed could cause more problems. We will keep our fingers crossed, but we remain skeptical.
posted by Anonymous at 6:05 AM
1 Comments:
Well, getting rid of one of the architects of part D is a step in the direction.
I do agree that it will be interesting to see what happens now. I am not hopeful.
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