Healthcare Outlook for the 110^th Congress

Extract

Driving forces behind the 110^th Congress, beginning January 2007, are anticipated to differ significantly from those of the current Congress. In addition to Democratic control of both the House and Senate and new leadership of the committees of jurisdiction over healthcare, very different policy considerations are anticipated under the new Democratic majority.

The Republican majority in the 109^th Congress continued the path set in 1994 of having market forces determine the direction and policy of healthcare. The most obvious example for clinical laboratories is that of competitive bidding and attempts to reinstate beneficiary co-payment for outpatient laboratory services. Other areas have utilized a “user fee” concept, similar to co-payment, to raise revenues or lower costs caused by competition in the healthcare market place.

While the Democrats will attempt to expand benefits and extend coverage to the uninsured as part of their healthcare policy agenda, a major element of their fiscal policy is the enforcement of the “pay as you go” budget philosophy. Any expansion of healthcare benefits must be paid for by reductions in other areas of federal expenditures.

Democrats also adhered to this policy when in the majority before 1992, but they attempted to find off-sets in areas that would not affect quality, service, or access to healthcare and worked with the affected stakeholders to achieve this outcome.

As the 110^th Congress is organized, many of the key chairs of the House and Senate committees are likely to be those members of Congress who served in the same capacity…