Two California congressmen proposed a bill designed to increase Medicaid reimbursement for physicians, according to a California Healthline report.
Here are six things to know about the proposed bill.
1. The bill was proposed by state Reps. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and Jeff Denham, R-Turlock.
2. Under the bill, federal health officials would study methods for increasing Medicaid reimbursement for physicians "in an unspecified region with a disproportionately high number of Medicaid patients, with the goal of improving access to care," according to the report.
3. The Denham-Valadao bill lacks some details. For instance, it does not include specific cost estimates, a specific timeline for the study or "what kind of payment-boosting methods could be tested," reports California Healthline.
4. Critics such as John Capitman, executive director of the Fresno, Calif.-based Central Valley Health Policy Institute, oppose the bill. "The proposal is really embarrassingly transparent in its attempt to change the focus of discussion away from basic coverage for low-income folks," he said, according to the report.
5. But Mr. Denham contends in the report that the bill will add to GOP efforts to repeal and replace the ACA. "We have the [House-approved American Health Care Act], which we expect is going to come back differently in the Senate, so we've got more opportunities to make changes," he told California Healthline. "It's one thing to have an insurance card, but if their deductibles are too high or they have no doctor that will see them, then they really still have no coverage." Mr. Denham made the comments before the Senate revealed its healthcare bill Thursday.
6. The Denham-Valadao bill is now in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.