WASHINGTON, DC - Building upon the Energy and Commerce Committee’s #RecordOfSuccess, the House of Representatives today approved H.R. 5210, the PADME Act, by voice vote. The bipartisan legislation, which includes two committee provisions, will make a series of reforms to strengthen Medicaid and Medicare, and takes responsible steps to ensures patients will continue to have access to durable medical equipment (DME) they have relied on and will continue to need.
“The overarching bill passing the House today provides more time for Congress to work with CMS to fully understand the impact of current rates and ensure that Medicare beneficiaries, particularly in rural areas, will continue to have access to the DME products they need," said Health Subcommittee Chairman Joseph Pitts (R-PA).
Included in the PADME Act is H.R. 3716, the Ensuring Access to Quality Medicaid Providers Act, authored by committee member Rep. Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN), legislation to help the nation’s most vulnerable by expanding access to care and reducing fraud. H.R. 3716 passed the House in March with the text of H.R. 3821, the Medicaid DOC Act, authored by committee member Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY).
The Energy and Commerce provisions offer two important solutions:
* Gets Rid of Bad Actors. The bill ensures that providers terminated from Medicare or a state Medicaid program for reasons of fraud, integrity, or quality, are terminated from all other state Medicaid programs.
* Increases Access. This legislation will help expand access beyond the emergency room. It provides beneficiaries under fee-for-service or primary care case management programs with a directory of physicians participating in the program.
Additionally, the bill also includes H.R. 2949, the Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act, legislation to prevent funds from a eugenics compensation program to be counted as income for purposes of receiving federal benefits. H.R. 2949 passed the Senate earlier this year.
“Today the House acted to pass an important package of bills to further build upon our bipartisan record of success," said full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “From commonsense reforms to protect Medicaid beneficiaries to enacting clarification on certain state compensation programs, the passage of this bill is a win for everyone relying on these critical programs."
