Don Nickles: “I will be happy to answer the Senator's question. The regulations I was waving around a moment ago--this thing--came out…”

“I will be happy to answer the Senator's question. The regulations I was waving around a moment ago--this thing--came out on December 16, 3 months ago. I doubt that all the States have had time to review these regulations. Maybe some of them have, and maybe some of them haven't. So how would anyone know whether all the States are in compliance with that? On the newborns law my colleague alluded to, which is not enforced by HCFA, the regs aren't out yet. So how could anyone know whether or not there is compliance? Now, the 65 people that HCFA was requesting in the supplemental were not to enforce either the mental parity or the 48 hours for newborns. It was not in the request, not in their letter, not in the GAO study. I think my colleague makes an interesting diversion in trying to say that they should be doing this, too. But frankly, that is not their responsibility. It is the responsibility of the Department of Labor. It is not in this bill and it would not be helped by passing this supplemental, even as originally requested.”