The newly formed National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare will include several members of Congress known for their keen grasp of health care issues and at least two strong advocates of expanded Medicare prescription coverage.
The commission, charged with crafting strategies to ensure the long-range solvency of the Medicare program, will ultimately include 17 members. The first appointments were announced last month by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.).
One of Lott's selections, Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), emerged last summer as a key ally in ASCP's ongoing campaign to secure appropriate medication services under a new Medicare nursing facility prospective payment system. A physician by training, Frist is a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and chairman of the Senate's Public Health and Safety Subcommittee. Last year, he supported proposals to link beneficiary income to Part B premiums, raise the eligibility age to 67, and improve coordination of services through a gatekeeper approach.
A second appointee, chosen by Gingrich, is Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Thomas was the author of Balanced Budget Act language expanding Medicare coverage to include diabetes self-care training and education provided by pharmacists and other qualified health care professionals.
Another Lott appointee, Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), introduced legislation last year calling for a new Medicare prescription drug benefit under the fee-for-service portion of the program. As envisioned by Gramm, the proposal would give seniors the option of paying a single $1,000 annual deductible for all Part A and Part B services, and a 20% co-payment capped at $1,000 annually. Although Gramm's proposal failed to advance as a stand-alone bill and was not included in the Balanced Budget Act, analysis by the Congressional Budget Office indicates the plan would yield cost savings more than adequate to offset any new spending.
Also appointed to the commission was Brookings Institution analyst Robert Reischauer, who has publicly stated that expanded drug coverage must be an integral component of any effective long-range Medicare cost control strategy.
Other congressional appointees to the commission include Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Health and the Environment Subcommittee; Rep. Greg Ganske (R-Iowa), a physician and member of the House Commerce Committee; another physician, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), a member of the House Budget and Ways and Means Committees; and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), a prominent supporter of Medicare benefits modernization. Former HCFA Chief Bruce Vladeck also has been named to the panel.