"Iowans pay the same payroll tax as other Americans to help finance the Medicare system. And Medicare beneficiaries in Iowa pay the same monthly premium as other Americans, so Iowans deserve the same access to quality health care as other Americans," Grassley said.
Grassley said it's important to bring all interested parties together to get a clear understanding of this complex problem and to explore various solutions. Many Iowa health care providers struggle due to a number of factors, including limited Medicare payments. Even so, Iowa providers provide some of the most efficient care anywhere, and one survey indicated Iowa health care is eighth in the nation in quality.
"This issue is a top priority for community, business and education leaders, Iowa journalists and elected officials across the political spectrum," Grassley said. "With this forum, we can set politics aside and focus our common concerns toward viable solutions that will correct the unfair payment disparity. We all want to make sure Iowa hospitals, health clinics and doctors' offices can keep their doors open and continue providing quality, high-paying jobs and high-quality health care services."
Members of the Iowa congressional delegation have proposed a variety of legislative fixes to correct the negative impact on Iowa of the current Medicare payment structure. The formula is based on bureaucratic calculus that rewards high-cost complex care in big cities. Providers in smaller cities and rural communities tend to practice cost-effective medicine, and Iowans don't go to the doctor as often as residents in other states. Medicare formulas also don't recognize special costs faced by small, isolated physicians, hospitals and clinics.
In the Senate, Grassley has introduced a comprehensive bill to increase hospital outpatient payments, boost the inflation payment update for hospitals in rural and small urban settings, increase base Medicare payment rates and give a 10-percent increase in Medicare payment for services delivered in small rural hospital outpatient clinics and emergency rooms. Grassley said he hopes to push his bill through when the Senate returns to work after Labor Day.
In July, the House of Representatives passed legislation to increase payments to many rural hospitals. All five members of Iowa's House delegation voted for the measure. And many of these items are included in the Senate legislation sponsored by Grassley.
Grassley said he is convening the forum as the senior member of Iowa's congressional delegation.