Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines an emergency spending bill that is expected to address SCHIP funding shortfalls, as well as legislation that would allow FDA to regulate tobacco products and Medicare physician reimbursements in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ." According to Carey, House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-Wis.) has said that fiscal year 2007 supplemental spending legislation will contain $750 million to cover SCHIP funding shortfalls in about 14 states. According to Carey, addressing the shortfalls "will free lawmakers and the White House to focus on the reauthorization debate," which will include issues such as expanding coverage to more parents and income eligibility guidelines. Lawmakers also will debate long-term funding for the program, including a proposal by Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) to more than double the federal cigarette tax to fund a $50 billion SCHIP expansion, Carey says. Carey also discusses a bill that would allow FDA to regulate tobacco product advertising and ingredients but that would not authorize FDA to ban products. Some Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee members say that the Federal Trade Commission might be better suited to regulate the advertising, according to Carey. Finally, Carey discusses Medicare physician payments, which face a 10% reduction in FY 2008. Senate and House committees have begun to examine the issue, but Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has said Congress is unlikely this year to overhaul the payment system to eliminate the yearly reimbursement cuts, according to Carey. Some lawmakers and some seniors' groups have called for reducing Medicare Advantage payments and using that money for other priorities, as recommended in a recent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report, Carey says (Carey, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 2/20).

The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online at kaisernetwork.org.