- Sat. May. 17, 2008
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Under the cloud of a veto threat, the House voted Wednesday to pass legislation delaying seven Medicaid regulations that aim to slash state payments for low-income healthcare services the administration considers in excess of what is allowed.
The bill sailed through, 349-62, but the decision to pass it without considering amendments annoyed some Republicans. Before the vote, conservative House Republicans were drumming up opposition, arguing that bringing it to the floor under suspension of House rules was unfair.
“You don’t get a chance to offer any amendments, so they’re not affording to the body as a whole the same privileges that were afforded to the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee,” said Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee ranking member Nathan Deal, R-Ga., who voted against the bill.
“I voted for it in committee. I voted ‘yes’ after they gave me a chance to offer an amendment,” Deal said. He offered two amendments in the committee’s markup last week that were shot down. The measure was voted unanimously out of committee.
Reps. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., switched their votes from the ones they cast in committee and opposed the bill in the House.
The overwhelming House vote indicates that Republicans who oppose the one-year delay in the Senate might have a difficult time holding back its momentum. “I think there’s rather overwhelming collective disagreement with the regulations and the moratorium would probably be preferable,” Deal said.
HHS Secretary Leavitt painted a somewhat different picture Wednesday.
“I feel quite confident there will be significant resistance in the Senate,” Leavitt said. An HHS spokeswoman later said his comments were based on public opposition from some Senate Republicans.
Senate Minority Leader McConnell and Minority Whip Kyl are opposed to the bill as well as Senate Finance ranking member Charles Grassley. House Energy and Commerce ranking member Joe Barton said last week he believed both chambers would have enough support to override a veto.
The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy Tuesday expressing strong opposition to the bill. The regulations eliminate or cut back on certain Medicaid payments to states in response to federal reports outlining loopholes in the system states often take advantage of to squeeze more out of the program.
“The bill also jeopardizes federal savings of approximately $14 billion over five years and $33 billion over 10 years because it prohibits the administration from finalizing or implementing the rules before leaving office,” the SAP stated.
States claim the regulations would cost them $50 billion over five years, though the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services disputes that number because its calculation did not contain all the data CBO would have taken into account.
4/24/2008 AM Contents
- Dem Leaders To Limit Supplemental Bill
- Hispanic Caucus Lashes Out At Leaders
- CAFTA Complaint Might Affect Ongoing Colombia Standoff
- Stevens Drafts Bill To Fix ‘Phantom’ Phone Traffic Problem
- Lawmakers Apply Pressure To Withdraw ‘First-Sale’ Rule
- House Panels Approve Different Parts Of Housing Stimulus
- Senate Comes Up Short In Bid To Proceed To Pay Measure
- House Overwhelmingly Passes Medicaid Rules Moratorium
- Officials Question Cost, Scope Of E-Mail Storage Measure
- GAO Report Finds Collection Of ‘Dumping’ Penalties Lacking
- Senate Aides Trying To Close Deal On FAA Reauthorization
- Two-Week Farm Bill Extension Eyed To Wrap Things Up
