Hearing of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Pallone, Hearing on Examining Bipartisan Legislation to Improve the Medicare Program

Hearing

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Today we will examine eleven bipartisan bills aimed at improving
care in the Medicare program. Medicare plays a critical role in the lives of our nation's
seniors and disabled Americans, and it is so important that this Committee continue to look
for ways to strengthen the program and deliver the highest quality care to beneficiaries. I
commend the Chairman for holding this hearing and I look forward to working with you on
these measures moving forward.
First, I'm pleased that we'll be discussing H.R. 1148, the FAST Act, introduced by
Representatives Joyce and Griffith. When it comes to stroke --every second counts. Stroke
telemedicine, also known as telestroke, breaks down barriers to care and is a valuable tool
for combatting our nation's fifth leading cause of death. The FAST Act would expand
coverage of telestroke services in the Medicare program so that beneficiaries can get the
right treatment at the right time, no matter where they live. I look forward to hearing from Dr.
Kissela today about the impact of expanding telestroke services in the Medicare program.
Additionally, I am pleased that we have a discussion draft on extending the exceptions
process and targeted manual medical review for physical therapy caps. It is long past
overdue for us to have a serious discussion about a permanent policy to address these caps.
In MACRA, we instructed CMS to eliminate manual medical review for all claims above the
$3700 threshold, and instead put in place a targeted, less burdensome review. I understand
that this process is working quite well for both beneficiaries and providers. I look forward to
hearing from the American Physical Therapy Association today about how targeted medical
review can be part of a long-term solution that both preserves access for beneficiaries and
reduces the burden on providers.
I also look forward to hearing from the National Home Infusion Association today about H.R.
3163. Home infusion is a critically important service that allows Medicare beneficiaries to
receive infusion drugs at home, rather than other more expensive and less convenient sitesof care. I support H.R. 3163 and I am glad that we have been able to work on a bipartisan
basis on this important bill to ensure continued patient access to these important drugs at
home.
I also look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the other six bills and the discussion
draft on mobile laboratories. All of these bills aim to make meaningful changes to the
Medicare program by protecting beneficiaries, reducing provider burden, improving program
integrity, or delivering comprehensive primary care services to Medicare beneficiaries in the
home. I look forward to learning more about these bills and working on a bipartisan basis to
advance these efforts.
Finally, H.R. 849, introduced by Representatives Ruiz and Roe, would repeal the
Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). This is not the first time we've considered
repealing IPAB. As I've said in the past, I'm opposed to IPAB and would be in favor of
abolishing it. However, unlike the past, I hope we can work in a bipartisan fashion to
eliminate IPAB. It is my belief that Congress should not be ceding legislative authority to
independent commissions like IPAB by allowing them to play more than an informational
role. The Affordable Care Act strengthened the Medicare program and put it on the path
toward incentivizing value over volume. It lengthened the life of the Medicare Trust Fund
and contributed to a lower rate of growth in Medicare expenditures. It is our job as
legislators to continue this work to ensure that the program remains strong for future
generations--not the job of an unelected commission.
I look forward to learning more from our witnesses about all the policies up for discussion
today. Thank you, I yield back the remainder of my time.

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