Bill Would Boost Wyo Doc Payments

(Casper Star Tribune)

By Joshua Wolfson, Printed in the Casper Star Tribune, 12/22/2009

A provision in the U.S. Senate health care overhaul would increase Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals in Wyoming, but it hasn't swayed either of the state's senators to support the bill.

Republican Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso say the recently added provision doesn't change their opinion of the bill, which they argue will raise taxes and increase health care costs. Both opposed the legislation during a Monday morning vote in the Senate, which saw the overhaul move forward 60-40.

Speaking from Washington after the vote, Barrasso said the health care bill would hurt Wyoming residents, even with the new provision.

"The people of Wyoming aren't looking for sweetheart deals," he said. "They are looking for fairness."

Wyoming Democrats say higher reimbursement rates included in the provision will help attract physicians to rural areas.

"We are absolutely in favor of this," said Brianna Jones, communications director for the Wyoming Democratic Party. "Rural areas are one of the areas that have the hardest time making sure they have doctors."

The provision would increase Medicare reimbursement rates for some doctors and hospitals in five "frontier" states: Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Montana. The payments would amount to $2 billion over 10 years.

Wyoming's potential take is unknown at this time. Officials with the Wyoming Medical Society and the Wyoming Hospital Association said Monday they were still assessing the possible impacts of the provision.

Politicians from rural states have long complained about receiving lower Medicare reimbursements than their urban counterparts. However, Barrasso said the harm caused by the overall bill would far outweigh the small good offered by higher reimbursement rates for frontier states.

"My worry is this $500 billion of Medicare cuts across the country," he said. "That impact is going to be much more severe than this $2 billion over 10 years."

Following the latest vote, Enzi accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., of buying votes with taxpayer dollars.

"This would never happen in Wyoming because buying votes is illegal, as it should be," the senator said in a written statement. "This is not how legislating should work."

A spokeswoman for Enzi called the provision poorly written. She said it left out some frontier states and included others that don't qualify under the amendment's own criteria.

"It is obvious this provision was meant to sweeten the pot for Democrats in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota who would face backlash from their constituents because of the vote last night," spokeswoman Elly Pickett wrote in an e-mail to the Star-Tribune. "Senator Enzi did not help write this provision and he certainly did not ask for this provision. His vote is not for sale."

Wyoming Democrats argue the overhaul will help patients and the state's health care providers. They accused Enzi and Barrasso of voting against the best interest of their constituents.

"It's party politics, and I would hope we would finally be able to get past that," Jones said.

Reach reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com. Visittribtown.trib.com/JoshuaWolfson/blog to read his blog.