Orrin Hatch: “on June 16, 1997, I introduced legislation, S. 914, proposing to revise the present system in which the Medicare Program…”

“on June 16, 1997, I introduced legislation, S. 914, proposing to revise the present system in which the Medicare Program pays for services provided by skilled nursing facilities [SNF's]. This legislation builds on my work in the Finance Committee in 1995 when the committee included a proposal I authored to implement a prospective payment system for nursing home payments. As currently structured under Medicare, seniors receive up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility services following a 3-day hospitalization stay. Currently, those services are reimbursed on a cost-plus basis. As Medicare has evolved, however, so have systems of cost-plus reimbursement. For many years, I have worked with my colleagues in the Senate to provide seniors with the services they need in a skilled nursing facility setting. I have worked to modify the Medicare reimbursement methodology in order to provide economic incentives to SNF providers to provide the highest quality of care at a reasonable and affordable price to the Medicare Program. My legislation will accomplish that goal.”