Off Topic, Health Care Reform: Looks Like DeFazio Issue May be Fixed.

From WaPo HERE.

Congressional Democrats said they had worked out an agreement to resolve one of the last remaining issues: a dispute over geographic disparities in Medicare payments.

The agreement could lead to higher payments to doctors and hospitals in states like Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin, where Medicare rates are relatively low but studies suggest that the quality of care is high.

Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, sent a letter to Congress saying she would commission studies by the National Academy of Sciences to investigate the issue and recommend solutions.

“The current geographic variation in Medicare reimbursement rates is inequitable,” Ms. Sebelius said. She promised to support payment adjustments that take account of such disparities and reward “high-value care.”

More detail from Quad City Times story about support for bill from Iowa Rep is HERE.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.