Washington, D.C. – With the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act, Congress approved six pieces of legislation sponsored and led by Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) which directly benefit Kansans in the 2^nd district. Jenkins released the following statement following its passage:

“Today Congress has firmly reasserted its commitment to our service men and women in uniform by providing a long-term budget that allows the military to rebuild, plan ahead and better ensure our nation’s security. This budget agreement splits away from the practice of lurching from one funding cliff to another.

“In addition, the House and Senate acted on some very significant solutions to address the challenges of delivering rural healthcare and bolstering rural economies. By creating efficiencies in the dialysis certification process, treatment centers across the country, including three in the 2^nd district, will be able to better serve End State Renal Disease patients. Putting a moratorium on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) burdensome direct supervision rule will allow our rural hospitals to continue to serve their communities by providing basic outpatient therapeutic services. Moreover, by allowing physicians assistants to care for the ailing through Medicare, we provide access to quality and dignified hospice care. These provisions are great investments into rural America.”

A detailed description of these six bills include:

• H.R. 4520, To provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2017; Extends the moratorium on the CMS enforcement for its “direct supervision” rule for outpatient therapeutic services provided in critical access hospitals and other small, rural hospitals with 100 or fewer beds which reduces costs for rural healthcare providers and increases access for rural communities;
• H.R. 1155, To allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs; Allows qualified professionals, as defined as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists, to supervise cardiac, intensive cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs which increase access, especially in rural areas, to these high-quality, preventative programs
• H.R. 3166, To provide under the Medicare program for independent accreditation for dialysis facilities and assurance of high-quality surveys with respect to such facilities; Allows dialysis clinics to use CMS-approved third-party organizations to gain surveys and recertification so that they no longer have to wait months or years
• H.R. 3447, Furthering Access to Coordinated Treatment for Seniors (FACTS) Act of 2017; Improves coordination for senior care by allowing CMS Part D plans and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to voluntarily request access to information and help bridge the gap between doctors and pharmacists to improve healthcare outcomes
• H.R. 1284, Medicare Patient Access to Hospice Act of 2017; Amends the Social Security Act to allow Physicians Assistants to provide hospice care through Medicare which addresses serious shortages in rural communities
• H.R. 721, Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy (BRACE) Act; Extends the shortline railroad maintenance credit for one year which is critical for helping rural producers find adequate access to markets for their goods

On Tuesday, Congresswoman Jenkins testified on the FACTS act in the Health subcommittee of Ways and Means. You can view that testimony here: https://youtu.be/UFbW2iqij6c

Each of these bills was introduced this Congress, amended into H.R.1892, the Bipartisan Budget Act, and signed into law by the President this morning.