Asfallout from the House healthcare reform plan continued to rain downWednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committeepassed its own reform proposal.
The13-10 HELP vote to approve the measure was split along party lines.The Edward Kennedy (D-MA)-sponsored bill received much initialcriticism after a Congressional Budget Office report showed it couldcost more than $1 trillion. Unaccounted for provisions, including apublic insurance option, however, subsequently dropped the price tagto a $600 billion cost estimate. One key provision of the HELP planwould establish a national long-term care and disability insuranceprogram that would help pay for rehab and skilled nursing services inthe event of a disability.
Meanwhile,scrutiny of the recently announced House plan continued, with atleast one senior-care advocacy group appearing worried. “We areconcerned about Medicare provisions for skilled nursing facilities,”said the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging,“especially the loss of the payment update for three quarters of2010.” The providers association also criticized a provision thatwould cut Medicare reimbursements for hospice providers by 3.2%annually.
