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Hurricane relief forces Congress to delay budget bills

Rehab Private Practice Alert, September 14, 2005

Facing the need for rapid action on disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, congressional leaders agreed this week to delay action for at least two weeks on budget legislation that could include Medicare and Medicaid provisions, reports PT Bulletin Online.

However, some key Republicans are joining Democrats in the Senate and House in urging their leaders to postpone any consideration of proposed cuts in Medicaid spending. The budget passed by Congress earlier this year set a September 16 deadline for committees to act on legislation to cut mandatory entitlement spending by $35 billion over five years.

The delay in considering budget reconciliation legislation also affects Medicare policies, including efforts to prevent the restoration of the therapy cap and deep cuts in payments under the Medicare physician fee schedule.

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