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HJM001................................................by HEALTH AND WELFARE
MEDICARE - Stating findings of the Legislature and urging the Congressional
delegation from the state of Idaho to support legislation to remove the
geographic disparity in Medicare reimbursement that currently exists in the
Medicare Program.
01/29 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
01/30 Rpt prt - to 2nd rdg
01/31 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
02/03 3rd rdg - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Mitchell
Title apvd - to Senate
02/04 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Health/Wel
02/12 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 10th Ord
02/13 10th ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Burkett
Title apvd - to House
02/14 To enrol
02/17 Rpt enrol - Sp signed
02/18 Pres signed
02/19 To Secretary of State
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ||||
Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session - 2003
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 1
BY HEALTH AND WELFARE COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS
3 ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
4 IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
5 We, your Memorialists, the House of Representatives and the Senate of the
6 State of Idaho assembled in the First Regular Session of the Fifty-seventh
7 Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
8 WHEREAS, Americans everywhere pay equal premiums to support Medicare, the
9 health insurance program primarily for people sixty-five years of age and
10 older; and
11 WHEREAS, physician reimbursement for services provided to Medicare benefi-
12 ciaries are set by the federal government according to a complex formula; and
13 WHEREAS, because of the way the Medicare formula is written, reimbursement
14 for medical services is much higher in larger, more populous states than it is
15 in small, rural states like Idaho; and
16 WHEREAS, this disparity can result in the physician or other provider in
17 Idaho being reimbursed half as much as a colleague in another state for the
18 same service; and
19 WHEREAS, this disparity is unjustified and unfair and has a negative
20 impact on patient access to services in Idaho; and
21 WHEREAS, the Idaho Medical Association has joined its peers from seventeen
22 other small states to form the Geographic Equity in Medicare (GEM) Coalition;
23 and
24 WHEREAS, Iowa Senator Charles Grassley introduced S.2873 "Improving Our
25 Well-Being Act" in the last Congress to remedy this geographic disparity but
26 that legislation was not acted upon.
27 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the First Regular Session
28 of the Fifty-seventh Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and the
29 Senate concurring therein, that we hereby respectfully urge the members of the
30 Idaho Congressional delegation to support the passage of legislation similar
31 to S.2873 as introduced by Senator Grassley that removes the geographic dis-
32 parity in Medicare reimbursements that currently exists in the Medicare pro-
33 gram.
34 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representa-
35 tives be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this
36 Memorial to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Repre-
37 sentatives of Congress, and the congressional delegation representing the
38 State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 12614
This is a Memorial to Idaho s Congressional Delegation urging their
support of equalizing Medicare payments to physicians and other
healthcare providers in Idaho and other less populous, rural states by
the removal of geographic practice cost indices that are currently
part of the Medicare payment formula. These indices result in much
higher reimbursements for physicians and healthcare providers in
large, urban areas for the same services.
This disparity is inherently unfair and is having a negative impact on
the Medicare patient s access to care in rural states. S.2873 removes
the geographic practice cost index.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact on the general fund.
Contact
Name: Rep. Mike Mitchell 332-1219
Rep. Robert Ring 332-1238
Bob Seehusen, 344-7888
Ron Hodge, 344-7888
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE HJM 1