Good News in Home Care - Maybe -Reply

September 21, 1998

I'll believe it when I really see it! But thanks for the tease,

.

W. , PT, MS

Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Michigan

Therapeutics

dperry@...

>>> Kovacek 09/21/98

08:17am >>>

<html>

<tt>FYI - Home Care Alert<br>

September 21, 1998 </tt></tt></tt><br>

WASHINGTON - The Associated Press. <br>

<br>

A key House committee recommended restoring $1.4 billion

for Medicare home health care benefits cut by

congressional budget-balancers last year. <br>

<br>

But it's unclear where the money would come from or

whether the full

House, much less the Senate, will go along with the plan.

<br>

Trying to stem the growth of Medicare's home health

program, Congress put new limits on what some said was

out-of-control, potentially fraudulent use of the benefit. <br>

<br>

But home health companies have complained that the cuts

were too deep.

And some elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries say

they aren't getting the care they need. <br>

<br>

``It behooves us to try to make some kind of correction,''

said Rep. Bill

Archer, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means

Committee, which agreed to restore some spending in a

voice vote Friday. <br>

<br>

New annual caps on payments to home care companies

were meant to save

$1.6 billion this year alone. In the past, companies were paid

for every visit, virtually without limit. <br>

<br>

Congress has ordered up a more precise payment system

that was to be ready by next year, but it has been delayed

while Medicare struggles to fix computer problems caused

by the year 2000 glitch. <br>

<br>

Meanwhile, auditors with the General Accounting Office _

Congress' investigative branch _ examined the situation in

August and found that despite the new payment caps, the

number of home health care companies serving Medicare

beneficiaries has continued to grow. <br>

<br>

At the same time, the auditors found that people with serious

conditions requiring expensive care have had more trouble

finding it. <br>

<br>

Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, who released

the GAO report

Friday, have not decided if any immediate change is

needed. <br>

<br>

In the House Ways and Means Committee, Republicans

and Democrats agreed to restore some money to

Medicare, but could not decide where it should come from.

<br>

Democrats want to preserve expected budget surpluses to

shore up the

Social Security system. They suggested scaling back a

Republican favorite: tax-free medical savings accounts for

senior citizens, scheduled to be available on an

experimental basis starting next year.

But the GOP quickly rejected that suggestion. <br>

<br>

Another idea, to make Medicare beneficiaries pay part of

the cost of each home care visit, is backed by Rep. Bill

, R-Calif., but has won little support from other

lawmakers of either party. <br>

<br>

..<br>

<br>

<BR>

<br>

<div> R. Kovacek, MSA, PT</div>

<div>KovacekManagementServices, Inc.</div>

<div>The FOCUS Group, Inc.</div>

<div>20225 Danbury Lane</div>

<div>Harper Woods, MI & nbsp; 48225</div>

<div>Email Pkovacek@... </div>

<div> & lt;<a href= " http://www.thefocusgroup.net/ "

EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.theFOCUSgroup.net</a> & gt;</div>

<br>

<div>Join PT Manager-- The Electronic Rehab Leadership

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<br>

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</html>

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