The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will debate their bills on the respective floors in early Fall, 2009.
For the first time in many years, health care reform is at the top of the federal legislative and fiscal agendas. Secretary of Health and Human Services Katherine Sebelius has been working closely with Nancy-Ann DeParle in her role as director of the White House Office for Health Reform. Following months of debate in and around Congress, the committees of jurisdiction are near completion of their respective bills. The House Tri-Committee (Ways/Means, Energy /Commerce and Education /Labor) has introduced HR 3200 which will be debated on the House floor in September; the Senate Finance Committee will release their bill in early September, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has introduced the Affordable Health Choices Act.
While each of the bills proposes to cover 95-98% of the uninsured, theoretically lowering the number of consumers utilizing our EDS for non-emergent use, and include major reforms to the delivery system such as guarantee issue, long term financial burdens to hospitals are expected. In the spirit of ‘shared responsibility’, the hospital industry has come to an agreement with the White House and Senate Finance Committee to cap Medicare reductions at $155B/10 years.
MemorialCare will continue to work with federal and state policy makers to address the difficult and controversial issues of the uninsured, ‘hidden taxes’, diminishing government reimbursement and cost-shifting. MemorialCare and our physician partners will work with CHA, AHA, HLC and others to ensure:
Any government run public plan which competes with private insurers reimburses hospitals based on negotiated rates and not rates based on current Medicare reimbursement
The President’s proposed Independent Medicare Advisory Council does not set rates and quality measures absent Congressional approval
Safety-net hospitals continue to receive their critically important supplemental funding
Increased Medi-Cal and Medicare reimbursement, thereby ending federal shortfalls which also contribute to cost-shifting.
Evidence-based quality improvement and chronic disease management is included in the prevention and wellness component.
Changes in the delivery system, including pay for performance programs, transparency requirements and long-term accountability are appropriate and meaningful.
Any reform proposal must prove to be sustainable over a period of time.
*Only for Standard California Zip Codes such as 90001
MemorialCare respects the right of each of its employees to hold his or her own viewpoint on political issues. MemorialCare does not and will not make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation or policy controlling or directing, or tending to control or direct the political activities or affiliations of its employees. In addition, MemorialCare will not coerce or influence, or attempt to coerce or influence, its employees through or by means of threat of discharge or loss of employment to adopt or follow, or refrain from adopting or following, any particular course or line of political action or political activity. Although MemorialCare may, at times, identify its position on certain legislative bills and public policy issues, MemorialCare does not require that its employees adopt or follow the same position.
Compliant with HON Code | Hospital Accreditation 
