Advocacy Issues: Graduate Medical Education 

On January 8, MedPAC, the panel that advises Congress on Medicare issues, met to discuss Medicare payment updates and other issues.

Before recessing prior to the November election, Congress considered key pieces of legislation related to the training of osteopathic and allopathic physicians.

Congress and the President responded to AACOM and other members’ of the health community call to implement a moratorium on regulations that would eliminate $1.78 billion in Medicaid funding for graduate medical education.

AACOM has advocated for Congress to impose a moratorium on seven Medicaid regulations that would eliminate Medicaid funding for a variety of programs, most notably graduate medical education.

AACOM and the Association of American Medical Colleges jointly sent a letter to the Chairmen and the Ranking Committee Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to request inclusion of text in the FY 2009 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that would permit funds to be used for the continued operation of the Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid granted fast-track status to legislation that would extend the moratorium on seven Medicaid regulations until April 1, 2009.

Legislation introduced this spring by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) that would postpone seven Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush administration is currently in jeopardy because of pay-go restrictions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issues corrections for typographical errors identified in the final rule that appeared in the January 3, 2008, Federal Register.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a final rule that revises provisions under the Physician Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2008.

MedPAC addresses Medicare payment adequacy; CMS publishes final rule with comment period; COGME will continue.