BOYDA CALLS IT AN IMPORTANT DAY IN PROTECTING HEALTH CARE ACCESS IN KANSAS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the lead of the United States House of Representatives, the Senate today voted by a wide margin (69 – 30) to pass the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA).

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) said, "This is an extremely important piece of legislation. I am glad that, at the end of the day, the Senate put partisan politics aside and voted to protect health care in America."

Passing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 was essential to protect patients from several damaging Medicare policies which went into effect on July 1, 2008. The bill also puts in place several measures to both increase beneficiaries' access to care and improve the quality of the care they receive.
The passage of H.R. 6331 reverses a 10.6% cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors and other providers that went into effect last week after the Senate failed to take action. It helps ensure patients' access to therapy services and protects pathology laboratories and ambulance service in rural areas.

New provisions in H.R.6331 will make it easier for independent pharmacies to stay in business. The provisions include: a requirement that Part D drug plans pay pharmacies' claims within 30 days, and a delay in Medicaid's scheduled switch to reimbursement based on Average Manufacturer's Price (AMP) data. The AMP formula would provide, on average, 36% less than a pharmacy's cost to acquire a medication. The resulting financial loss would cripple many community pharmacies, potentially triggering a health care crisis in rural Kansas. With the passage of MIPPA, AMP-based reimbursement will be delayed through September 2009.

Boyda now calls on the Administration, which has threatened to veto the legislation, to sign the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 into law.