The Medicare conference will not reach an early agreement on provider issues, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) told Inside CMS after President Bush called the conferees to the White House today (Sept. 25) to urge them towards a successful conclusion to negotiations on a prescription drug bill.
"It's got too many facets to deal with in a finite way," Thomas said, noting that payments to insurers were in the mix of provider issues along with hospital and physician reimbursement. "That's part of the mix going forward."