Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

It just may have become more difficult to get negative home care provisions out of - and good home care provisions into - the pending legislation for a Medicare prescription drug bill and other Medicare changes. The Congressional Budget Office says both the House and Senate-passed bills are over the $400 billion, 10-year limit set by President Bush and approved by Congress in the fiscal year 2004 budget. And they're over by tens of billions of dollars. The shortfall may mean legislators will look for cuts to support drug benefit provisions, and home care makes an appealing target. Home health agencies are fighting to get copayments and reductions to payment updates out of the bill while making sure that an add-on for rural home health services and homebound demonstration projects stay in. Durable medical equipment suppliers want to avoid national competitive bidding for a number of items.