Passed in the House: Brady-Neal Bill to Improve and Strengthen Medicare for Americans

Brady: "The ‘Medicare Part B Improvement Act’ takes targeted action to make Medicare work better for the American people"

Yesterday, the House unanimously passed bipartisan legislation – introduced by Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) and I – to improve Medicare Part B programs for patients with significant health challenges and the health care professionals who treat them.

The legislation includes solutions from more than a dozen Members, including: Health Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Reps. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Kenny Marchant (R-TX), Diane Black (R-TN), Pat Meehan (R-PA), Mike Bishop (R-MI), Greg Walden (R-OR), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Fred Upton (R-MI), John Lewis (D-GA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Ron Kind (D-WI), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Gene Green (D-TX).

Speaking in support of the legislation on the House floor, I said:

The legislation delivers targeted, immediate reforms to make Medicare work better for the American people. And it includes solutions from roughly a dozen Members on both sides of the aisle. The ‘Medicare Part B Improvement Act’ takes action on three primary goals: First, expanding access to high-quality care. Second, improving efficiency in the delivery of care so that patients can better receive the care they need, when they need it. And third, easing administrative burdens on providers so they can spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients.

Below are my full remarks, as prepared for delivery:

Improving and strengthening Medicare for the long term is a major priority for the American people and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

But, as we pursue this larger goal, we should not pass up opportunities to make smart, focused improvements that will help Medicare beneficiaries today. And that’s exactly what the ‘Medicare Part B Improvement Act’ will do.

I introduced this bill with Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal, Health Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi, and Ranking Member Sandy Levin. The legislation delivers targeted, immediate reforms to make Medicare work better for the American people. And it includes solutions from roughly a dozen Members on both sides of the aisle.

The ‘Medicare Part B Improvement Act’ takes action on three primary goals:

First, expanding access to high-quality care.

Second, improving efficiency in the delivery of care so that patients can better receive the care they need, when they need it.

And third, easing administrative burdens on providers so they can spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients.

Importantly, H.R. 3178 extends and improves Medicare home infusion services, which allow patients to receive personalized care in the comfort of their own home.

This legislation also extends an ongoing Medicare pilot program – the IVIG demonstration program – that allows patients with weakened immune systems to receive care in their homes.

This demonstration program carries a lot of meaning for me. I introduced it in 2012 as a direct response to the challenges facing patients with immunodeficiency diseases.

As I learned from Carol Ann Demaret – a constituent of mine whose son David suffered from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease – life with a severely weakened immune system can be an incredible struggle. And for children especially, it can be a daily fight just to survive.

Allowing these vulnerable patients to receive treatment from the safety of their own home can not only improve the quality of care – it can greatly enhance their quality of life. It can give a kid a real chance to be a kid.

In addition to these important provisions, this legislation contains numerous solutions that will lower health care costs and increase access to high-quality, coordinated care for beneficiaries.

More than that, the bill is an excellent example of what we can accomplish through regular order. This legislation was approved unanimously by the Ways and Means Committee on July 13. It demonstrates how, working together, we can solve real challenges facing patients, families, and health care providers in our communities.

I want to thank all of the Ways and Means members on both sides of the aisle who helped craft the solutions in this bill. And I’d also like to recognize Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Pallone of the Energy and Commerce Committee for their leadership and hard work in helping us move this a bill forward.

The ‘Medicare Part B Improvement Act’ takes targeted action to make Medicare work better for the American people. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.

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