Joe Biden to announce hospital partnership
source: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24600.html
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Vice President Joe Biden is expected to announce Wednesday that three major hospital associations have agreed to provide $160 billion in savings to pay for a health care overhaul, according to sources close to the negotiations.
The timing of the announcement is aimed at sustaining momentum for health reform as Democratic congressional leaders embark on a critical five-week period in which they hope to pass bills out of the Senate and House by the August recess.
Negotiators with the White House, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the three hospital groups – the American Hospital Association, Catholic Health Association, and the Federation of American Hospitals – were working through the final details Monday, sources said.
The deal would be less than what President Barack Obama proposed last month when he outlined more than $200 billion in hospital payment cuts to help pay for his bill.
As part of the deal, the hospitals sought a phase-in of payment cuts to hospitals that care for the uninsured and underinsured, and make the timing of the cuts track closely with the ability to expand access to insurance.
The timing of the announcement is aimed at sustaining momentum for health reform as Democratic congressional leaders embark on a critical five-week period in which they hope to pass bills out of the Senate and House by the August recess.
Negotiators with the White House, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the three hospital groups – the American Hospital Association, Catholic Health Association, and the Federation of American Hospitals – were working through the final details Monday, sources said.
The deal would be less than what President Barack Obama proposed last month when he outlined more than $200 billion in hospital payment cuts to help pay for his bill.
As part of the deal, the hospitals sought a phase-in of payment cuts to hospitals that care for the uninsured and underinsured, and make the timing of the cuts track closely with the ability to expand access to insurance.
