Republican representatives are taking the opportunity to meet with House leadership and Obama administration officials this week to discuss their views and concerns on healthcare reform. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters he intended to “carry on conversations with my Republican colleagues” on healthcare reform, and would meet with Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Thursday “to determine what we can agree upon.” In making assessments that the parties could reach 80% ag... Read more

A bill calling for ending the use of the Sustainable Growth Rate formula to set Medicare payments to physicians and replacing it with a new formula linked to the Medicare Economic Index has been submitted by Rep. Michael Burgess, (R-Texas). The bill, called the “Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act,” would maintain the current SGR formula for the rest of 2009, block next year's scheduled 21% cut (Print subscription required) and then begin using a new, MEI-based formula in 2011. The MEI i... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and chair of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, today introduced HR 3693, the Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act. The legislation would make a permanent fix to the formula Medicare uses to determine payment to doctors. Read more

A Republican physician in Congress has asked the White House to disclose more details regarding healthcare reform negotiations between the administration and hospital and pharmaceutical groups. ''It has now been over four months since the White House announced numerous deals with major stakeholders in the healthcare debate to save upwards of $2 trillion in the healthcare system," Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), who chairs the party's Congressional Health Care Caucus, wrote in a letter to Preside... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), chair of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, today sent a letter to President Obama raising questions about the negotiations between the White House and health industry groups, including PhRMA and the American Hospital Association, and requested answers to his questions. Read more

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 51-0 to include an amendment to the House' healthcare reform bill, HR 3200, that would require greater price transparency from hospitals and health insurers, according to a news release from the American Hospital Association. Under the amendment, states would be required to publicly report information on hospital charges, and health insurers would be required to provide customers with estimates of their out-of-pocket costs for health services. R... Read more

The House Energy and Commerce Committee finally finished its work on the healthcare overhaul Wednesday, cobbling a series of amendments together for the Rules Committee to add to the broader bill in the coming weeks. The committee voted to report a motion from former Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., to recommend that Rules include the additions. Seven amendments -- sponsored by members on both sides of the aisle -- formed the basis of the motion. The changes will require an ex... Read more

Today, during the resumed mark-up in the House Energy and Commerce Committee of HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) and Congressman Gene Green (D-Texas) offered a bipartisan amendment to promote transparency in health care costs. Read more

Today, during the resumed mark-up in the House Energy and Commerce Committee of HR 3200, the Democrats’ health care reform bill, Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) offered an amendment that would allow balanced billing for doctors under the proposed public option. This amendment was endorsed by the American Medical Association, which represents thousands of doctors, but was ultimately defeated by a vote of 21-30. Read more

House Republicans are feeling no love from President Barack Obama in the debate over healthcare – and Democrats want them to quit complaining. The White House has refused to schedule meetings with Obama and a handful of GOP lawmakers who RSVP’d to his blanket invitation to sit down one-on-one with any member of Congress to discuss his landmark legislation. Outspoken Democratic Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.) sees nothing wrong with the White House disregard for his GOP colleagues, saying they have no ... Read more