U.S. Reps. Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL) announced on Wednesday that they will host subcommittee hearings on Medicare Part A and unemployment insurance, respectively.
Tiberi, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, will convene a hearing on the evolution of quality in Medicare Part A on Sept. 7.
“As we work to ensure both current seniors and future generations have access to quality health care in the Medicare program, we are also looking for the best way to reform the system to ensure we are incentivizing quality,” Tiberi said.
The hearing will also provide an opportunity for lawmakers to discuss opportunities to improve Medicare so that the program can serve current and future beneficiaries while ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently.
“Last year, Congress undertook massive reforms to the way Medicare pays physicians – moving from quantity to quality,” Tiberi said. “Now, this committee is continuing that effort by looking at the Medicare Part A or hospital system. This hearing will look at where we have been, where we are, and where we are going to ensure we incentivize quality in the Medicare system. Specifically, we will explore lessons learned from existing pay-for-performance systems in the hospital inpatient setting and how we can apply those to future payment reforms, including in the post-acute care setting.”
Buchanan, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources, will convene a hearing on Sept. 7 that looks at the challenges and strengths of today’s unemployment insurance system.
“A strong Unemployment Insurance program serves both the employers who fund it and the Americans who claim benefits,” Buchanan said. “I look forward to hearing the perspective of employers and states, those who are on the ground, who have taken innovative steps to help unemployed Americans return to work quickly and improve the integrity of their Unemployment Insurance programs.”
The hearing will highlight how states are helping the unemployed re-enter the workforce, earn a paycheck and support their families. The solvency of the Unemployment Insurance program will also be evaluated at the hearing.