Incorporating the Best Ideas from Both Parties

Greenhouse Neutral Foundation Comment: - If you do not wish to exercise your right to post a comment on a listing by the White House, click the SHARE THIS and post it to your Twitter / FaceBook / MySpace or other media sites – you never know someone in your sphere of influence may just NEED to know about this featured release – Click the SHARE THIS – it’s easy, try it!

Incorporating the Best Ideas from Both Parties
Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on March 03, 2010 at 11:16 AM EST
Yesterday the President sent a letter to Congressional leaders outlining four additional Republican ideas he’d be willing to include. These ideas were identified as priorities by GOP members attending Thursday’s bipartisan meeting:

•Combating waste, fraud, and abuse by engaging medical professionals to conduct random undercover investigations of health care providers who receive taxpayer money.
•More funding for demonstration projects of alternatives for resolving medical malpractice disputes, including health courts.
•Increasing Medicaid reimbursements for doctors.
•Ensuring Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are in the Exchange.
These four ideas are just the latest to be singled out by the President as promising ways to strengthen our proposal. And they join a long list of good Republican ideas that have been incorporated already. You can learn more here.

Republican ideas in the legislation passed by Congress:

•Advancing medical liability reform through grants to States:
•Extending dependent coverage to age 26.
•Allowing automatic enrollment in health insurance.
•Including mechanisms to improve quality.
•SHOP exchange for small businesses to pool and purchase affordable insurance.
•Allowing the purchase of health coverage across state lines.
•Offering a high-risk pool.
•Supporting proven employer wellness programs
Additional Republican ideas in the President’s proposal:

•Including a comprehensive sanctions database.
•Registration and background checks of billing agencies and individuals.
•Expanded access to the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank.
•Liability of Medicare administrative contractors for claims submitted by excluded providers.
•Limiting debt discharge in bankruptcies of fraudulent health care providers or suppliers.
•Using technology for real-time data review.
•Illegal distribution of a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary identification or billing privileges.
•Study of Universal Product Numbers claims forms for selected items and services under the Medicare program.
Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director