House Labor, HHS, Education Bill Moves Forward House Labor–HHS-Education Subcommittee appropriators, dealing with spending constraints placed on them by the White House and Budget Committees in Congress, marked up a Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 bill on June 19. The Committee recommended a $27.664 Billion funding level, which represents a $682 Million increase. This increase is 7 percent. In a press statement accompanying the release of the bill, Chairman Ralph Regula stated, "During tight budget times, I have attempted to craft an appropriations bill that provides the necessary resources in the areas of the highest priority to the American people”. The bill’s overall funding levels are within the agreed upon limits of 3 percent growth for discretionary spending. House leaders hope that a majority of the 13 appropriations bills will pass in the House by the start of the August congressional recess. The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to mark up their bill June 25. Read the bill and more about the bill from the Committee on Appropriations.
House Appropriations Subcommittee Highlights:
FY03 Enacted:
NIH- $26.983 Billion
NIDDK- $1.622 Billion
FY04 Requested:
NIH- $27.664 Billion
NIDDK- $1.670 Billion
FYO4 Recommended:
NIH- $27.664 Billion
NIDDK- $27.664 Billion
FY04 Recommend vs. FY03 Enacted:
NIH- +$681.4 Million
NIDDK- + $47.3 Million
ASN Supports FOVA Recommendations for FY 2004 ASN recently attended a briefing by the Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research (FOVA). At the briefing, FOVA discussed its recommendations for FY 2004. Prior to attending the briefing, ASN endorsed FOVA's recommendations for FY 2004.
Read the statement that was distributed at the meeting. Also available for download are a one-page summary of FOVA's FY 2004 Funding Recommendations and the Statement for the Record of the Committee on Veterans Affairs Hearing on the FY 2004 Budget of the Department of Veterans Affairs submitted by FOVA on February 26, 2003.
FOVA was founded over ten years ago to ensure that America's veterans receive high-quality health care. Today, FOVA is a diverse coalition representing more than 80 national academic, medical, and scientific societies, and voluntary health and patient advocacy associations. Designated research areas within the VA research portfolio include kidney diseases and diabetes.
|  | ESRD Provisions in Medicare Reform Proposals End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) provisions are part of Medicare Reform Bills currently being marked up in Senate and House Committees. The ESRD provisions focus on an increase in the renal (dialysis) composite rate for services provided in dialysis facilities. Proposals in the bills call for a 1.6 percent composite rate increase in Fiscal Years 2004, 2005 and 2006. Details of the ESRD provisions outline two ways the composite rate would increase - one for inflationary costs of the composite rate and a second for the savings generated from reducing the AWP reimbursement from 95% to 85%. Influential Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) have expressed dissatisfaction with the ESRD provisions and Senator Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Finance Committee, has indicted he is willing to work on improving the ESRD provisions before any Medicare Reform goes to the Senate floor.
Upcoming CAKS Meeting The Council of American Kidney Societies (CAKS), which includes: ASN, American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN), American Society of Transplantation (AST), National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Polycystic Kidney Research Foundation (PKRF), and Renal Physicians Association (RPA), will hold its annual meeting in Washington, DC at ASN’s headquarter office on July 7 and July 8, 2003. Meeting attendees will also visit Capitol Hill for legislative meetings on July 8. Items to be discussed on July 7 include reports from CAKS members, a discussion with NIH/NIDDK officials, a public policy update on issues of common concern, as well as preparation for the July 8 Capitol Hill meetings. CAKS member representatives will also hear from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials about recent proposals for the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program at CMS, ESRD Demonstration Project, the composite rate, and bundling issue. NIH funding, the Medicare physician payment fix, and immunosuppressive drug and organ transplantation legislation have been identified as priority issues for the Capitol Hill meetings on July 8. A full report on the CAKS meeting will appear in July’s Renal Policy Express.
Renal Coalition Meets June 30 The Renal Coalition, of which ASN is a member, will meet on Monday, June 30. Proposed agenda items include: the House/Senate conference on Medicare ESRD provisions in Medicare reform bill, the AARP medigap issue, the ESRD Disease Management Demonstration, and the expiration of the EPO program memorandum on hematocrit levels.
ANNA to Educate Legislators The American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) Board of Directors has launched the ESRD Education Day project as an opportunity to educate members of Congress about the ESRD program. Congress will be invited to conduct on-site visits of dialysis facilities. The first annual "ESRD Education Day" will be August 15, 2003. ASN has pledged its full support of ANNA's "ESRD Education Day". For more information on the project, including a Planning and Orientation Guide for legislators' visits, go to ANNA's website.
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