News Headlines From Washington
New Medicare Drug Discount Cards Go Into Effect
The new Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card Program went into effect June 1.
The program, established as part of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), makes
discount cards available to beneficiaries who do not have prescription drug coverage
through Medicaid. Companies that offer the discount cards can charge an annual
enrollment fee of up to $30 and likely will offer savings on at least one medication
in each of 209 classes of treatments commonly used by Medicare beneficiaries.
Medicare beneficiaries with low incomes can qualify for a $600 annual subsidy
for their prescription drug costs and will not have to pay enrollment fees.
Because physicians may have varying levels of interest and involvement in
the new program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have
developed a range of educational products from basic program and beneficiary
referral
information to materials that cover the program in a more comprehensive way
for those Medicare
physicians, providers, and pharmacy professionals who choose to take a more
active role in assisting or counseling beneficiaries.
For more information to assist patients, physicians are invited to visit www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/drugcard.asp
to download materials addressing the drug discount cards and to get further information
on other MMA provisions. In addition, beneficiaries and providers can obtain
information to compare drug cards, including the discounted prices for drugs
that they use, cards offered in their area, and any enrollment fees, by calling
1-800-Medicare or accessing the CMS price comparison Web site at www.Medicare.gov.
President Sets Ten-Year Goal For Medical Records Going Electronic
President Bush set the goal of assuring that Americans have electronic medical
records within the next ten years and announced that he will create a new,
sub-Cabinet level position of "national health information technology
coordinator."
"Within ten years, every American must have a personal electronic medical
record. That's a good goal for the country to achieve," President Bush said
in a speech to the American Association of Community Colleges' annual convention
in Minneapolis.
The health information technology coordinator will report directly to the secretary
of health and human services, guide ongoing work on health information standards,
and implement steps to encourage health information technology in public and
private health care delivery systems, according to the White House. The new
office will also prepare a report on privacy and security issues related to
the development of a national information infrastructure and recommend methods
to assure appropriate authorization, authentication, and encryption of data
to protect the privacy and confidentiality of personal health information.
Momentum Growing in Congress For Drug Reimportation
With public pressure growing to legalize drug imports to reduce drug prices,
there is increasing support for reimportation legislation among both Democrat
and Republican lawmakers. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson
has stated that he expects that a bill could be approved before the end of
the congressional session.
A bipartisan group of senators led by Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is working on legislation
that would allow licensed pharmacists and wholesalers to begin importing FDA-approved
drugs from Canada within 90 days of the bill's enactment. A year later, imports
would be allowed from the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and
Switzerland. Representatives Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) are
working on a House version of Senator Dorgan's bill.
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Practice of Advocacy: ASH Committee on Practice Discusses AWP Reform with Congress
Robert Weinstein, M.D., Chair, ASH Committee on Practice
Amid mounting concerns over the impact on hematology practice of recent changes
in Medicare reimbursement, the ASH Committee on Practice went to the Hill during
its annual spring meeting (May 17-18) to air our concerns with congressional
offices and learn about the new Average Sales Price (ASP) reimbursement methodology.
The Committee met with some 20 congressional offices and made real inroads in
sharing hematology's perspective on ASP.
The full Committee met with Alan Eisenberg, legislative aide for healthcare
policy to Congressman Jim Greenwood (R-PA), to learn more about the intent
of the Congress
with respect to the new reimbursement methodology. Mr. Eisenberg was central
to the drafting of the ASP provision in the Medicare Modernization Act and
we sought his "insider" perspective on the expected impact of ASP. He
expressed a strong conviction that the law was drafted with the intention of
paying fairly for drugs and services while keeping physicians "whole." His
key point was that drug reimbursement based on 106 percent of ASP would be better
than many practitioners expect. He believes that recent estimates by outside
parties comparing 106 percent of ASP to 72 percent of AWP are inaccurate. He
advised ASH to disregard them until the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) publishes the actual payment rates later this summer. He also
shared with
the Committee that the aggressive lobbying tactics of some organizations had
not played well with Members of Congress but acknowledged ASH for its more
thoughtful approach. While stressing that the Congress would not be making
any more changes
to Medicare prior to the November elections, he indicated his willingness to
meet with ASH again after CMS publishes ASP payment rates.
During Hill visits, Committee members expressed the concern of practitioners
over not knowing what their payment rates will be for next year and emphasized
the need to slow down implementation of this new reimbursement methodology. Committee
members urged House and Senate offices to extend the 32 percent transitional
practice expense supplemental payment through 2006 to allow for the publication
of the MEDPAC study of the impact of the new reimbursement formula and to permit
appropriate adjustments in the law, if necessary.
ASH will continue to monitor implementation of ASP and will be collecting data
on its impact on hematology practices to share with the Congress. More information
about this and other legislative issues can be found on the ASH Web site.
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Take Action On National Bone Marrow Registry Legislation
In 1986, Congress created the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry
to increase bone marrow transplants involving unrelated donors. From its beginning,
this Registry has been maintained by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).
NMDP currently coordinates more than 150 transplants each month. With a diverse
registry of more than five million potential volunteer marrow and blood stem
cell donors, NMDP offers hope to more than 3,000 patients searching its Registry.
However, the legislation that authorizes NBMDR expired last year. Under current
circumstances, the Registry has no formal authority to function from the federal
government. Although legislation to reauthorize NBMDR through fiscal year (FY)
2008 was approved by the House of Representatives last October, there has yet
to be any legislation introduced to reauthorize the Registry in the Senate. The
Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee, the
committee with jurisdiction over this issue, has declined to take up the legislation.
ASH supports reauthorization of this important and life-saving program and urges
the Senate to reauthorize the Registry consistent with the House-passed legislation
(HR 3034), but needs members' help in contacting Senators to ensure that the
legislation advances this year. Members can visit the ASH Web site for up-to-date information on this issue. Help is needed to recruit support in the Senate for moving this legislation forward.
For further information, contact ASH Director of Government Relations & Practice
Mila Becker at 202-776-0544 or mbecker@hematology.org.
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