Congress to take up SCHIP reauthorization

With the State Children’s Health Insurance Program set to expire on Sept. 30, AAFP reports that Congress will likely follow the Senate’s lead with a vote to reauthorize the program. A conference committee will work out differences between the House and Senate bills once Congress gets back to work after its August recess.

The Senate’s SCHIP bill spends $35 billion over five years while the House has passed a measure costing $50 billion. President Bush has threatened to veto an expansion of SCHIP, marking the reauthorization of this program as the first battleground in any future fight over health system reform.

The House version, called the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act, or CHAMP, includes provisions that would replace cuts to Medicare physician payment totaling 15 percent over the next two years with 0.5-percent raises in 2008 and 2009. The House bill contains other provisions to boost primary care that have led many physician organizations to support it.

While the House version is likely too expensive and controversial to survive in its current form, AAFP reports that the Medicare payment measure could be tacked on to the Senate bill by the conference committee. In the latest issue of TEXAS FAMILY PHYSICIAN, you’ll find an in-depth examination of the Medicare physician payment system, its flaws and how the scheduled cuts would affect your practice.

Check out the latest TFP cover story, “Medicare: Cutting the Safety Net.”

Quick Facts: SCHIP and Medicare Legislation

• SCHIP currently covers 6 million children.
• The Senate bill adds between 3.2 million and 4 million currently uninsured children.
• The House bill extends coverage to 5 million more children by some estimates.
• The House bill averts scheduled cuts of 10 percent in 2008 and 5 percent in 2009 with 0.5-percent increases in both years.
• The House bill expands a three-year medical home demonstration project to 500 practices across the nation.
• The House bill would cut subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans.
• The Senate bill contains no Medicare provisions.