CQ (1/22) reports, "The House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation Thursday that would expand Medicaid, extend insurance coverage for people who lose their jobs and provide $20 billion to accelerate the use of electronic medical records." CQ notes that the measure was part of President Obama's $825 billion economic stimulus measure, but adds that Republican detractors "have castigated the legislation (HR 598) as a huge expansion of government that will not provide the short-term stimulus Democrats say is their goal." In particular, one of "the more controversial provisions of the bill is a section intended to encourage hospitals and doctors to more quickly adopt electronic medical records. Most health providers still use paper records, out of concern about the cost of going electronic as well as privacy restrictions. Electronic records are thought to result in both increased efficiency, reducing healthcare costs, and reduced medical errors."
CongressDaily (1/23, Noyes) reports on the lobbying related to the health IT measure, noting that "much of the discourse focused on privacy and security provisions of the legislation. America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) wrote to House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) in support of spurring adoption of electronic medical records as part of the stimulus but argued the proposal unveiled last week would require HHS to issue regulations that would restrict information that could be exchanged for health promotion, disease management, and care coordination programs." AHIP "flagged provisions that would let state attorneys general enforce federal privacy standards -- a change that could lead to a 50-state approach that is 'neither uniform, clear, nor cost effective' and said the measure would establish broadly worded breach notification requirements that could unnecessarily alarm consumers."
Dow Jones Newswires (1/23, Burns) adds that the bill would "provide a 65 percent subsidy for COBRA premiums to workers involuntarily terminated between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009." It also includes "upward of $87 billion" for Medicaid, "with additional federal matching funds to help states maintain their Medicare programs through 2010." States would be given the "option of temporarily providing Medicaid coverage to unemployed individuals who lack health insurance" and do not "otherwise qualify for Medicaid."
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