Hoeven Statement on Senate Passage of the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after Senate passage of the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act by a vote of 92 to 8. The measure repeals the long-troubled Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cap, which is the formula used to reimburse health-care professionals for treating seniors under Medicare. It creates greater certainty for physicians and implements incentives to reward them for quality care and good value. The bill also reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. The U.S. House passed the measure last month, and it now goes to the president, who has indicated he will sign it into law.

“The bipartisan legislation the Senate passed tonight affirms our commitment to our seniors, our children and our health-care professionals. It ensures that seniors in North Dakota and across the nation will continue to have access to reliable, high-quality healthcare services, and also that the doctors and health-care professionals who treat them don’t face the year-to-year uncertainty of rate reductions.

“At the same time, this legislation transitions the way we compensate our health-care professionals over time from a fee-for-service system that pays regardless of outcomes to a new incentive-based system that rewards providers for the quality and value of their services.

“Finally, the measure we passed cares for our youngest as well as our eldest citizens. It supports our commitment to the health of American children and working families by extending the current Children’s Health Insurance Program.”

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