Chronic Care Improvement Legislation Acquires Additional Sponsors

We are continuing to make progress with sponsors for the Medicare Chronic Care Improvement Act of 2001 (S.1589 and H.R.3188). Senator Graham (D-FL) has joined on the Senate bill which brings the number of Senators from the Finance Committee to three, including Rockefeller (sponsor) and Baucus. Having the support of Finance Committee Chairman Baucus is further strengthened by the cosponsorship of Senator Graham, who earlier this year introduced what some believe to be the strongest Medicare reform bill. Capitol Hill "watchers" do not hold out much hope for significant Medicare legislation this year for multiple reasons‹the absence of funding for new initiatives, the inability of the House and Senate to agree on Medicare strategy, and the intense focus on terrorist related activities in the past three months among the most significant.

There are currently 13 cosponsors of H.R.3188, the House version, including three members of the Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for Medicare policy. Cosponsors include Democratic Representatives Becerra, Eshoo and Roybal-Allard from California; Representative Lewis from Georgia; Representative Schakowsky from Illinois; Representatives Frank and McGovern from Massachusetts; Representative Wynn from Maryland; Representatives Hinchey, McNulty, and Weiner from New York; Representative Kucinich from Ohio; and Representative Robert Brady from Pennsylvania. In 2002 we will seek to build broad-based support for key provisions of this legislation.

S.1589 and H.R.3188: Medicare Chronic Care Improvement Act of 2001