[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H14983-H14984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXTENSION OF PERIOD OF APPLICABILITY OF ENROLLMENT MIX REQUIREMENT 
                     UNDER DAYTON AREA HEALTH PLAN

  Mr. BURR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 

[[Page H14984]]
  (H.R. 1878) to extend for 4 years the period of applicability of 
enrollment mix requirement to certain health maintenance organizations 
providing services under Dayton area health plan, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1878

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENDING PERIOD OF APPLICABILITY OF ENROLLMENT 
                   MIX REQUIREMENT TO CERTAIN HEALTH MAINTENANCE 
                   ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING SERVICES UNDER DAYTON 
                   AREA HEALTH PLAN

       Section 2 of Public Law 102-276, as amended by section 
     13644 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, is 
     amended by striking ``December 31, 1995'' and inserting 
     ``December 31, 1999''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina [Mr. Burr] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Burr].
  Mr. BURR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. BURR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BURR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1878.
  The Dayton area health plan is a Medicaid managed care demonstration 
project in Dayton, OH. On December 31 of this year, the Medicaid waiver 
under which the plan currently operates will expire.
  H.R. 1878 extends for 4 years the waiver of the 75/25 percent 
enrollment mix which requires HMO's serving public recipients to 
attract 25 percent of their customers from the commercial market.
  Since this program has been successful as a HCFA-approved Medicaid 
reform initiative, Congress has waived the enrollment mix twice in the 
past. Moreover, the Congressional Budget Office has also estimated that 
the Dayton program saves taxpayers approximately $1 million per year.
  For these reasons, I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1878, a bill to extend 
the waiver of the 75/25 percent enrollment mix requirement for the 
Dayton Area Health Plan. The Dayton Area Health Plan is a Medicaid 
managed care initiative. For more than six years, it has been providing 
quality health care to over 24,000 enrollees in Aid to Dependent 
Children, Healthy Start, and General Assistance programs in Montgomery 
County, Ohio.
  The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (Public 
Law 99-272) instituted a requirement that a Health Maintenance 
Organization (HMO) be able to attract at least 25 percent commercial 
enrollees in order to be eligible for reimbursement under Medicaid. The 
theory was that the ability to attract paying customers would ensure 
quality care for Medicaid beneficiaries. However, the Dayton Area 
Health Plan ensures quality by encouraging competition between the 
HMO's that participate.
  Congress has twice recognized the value of the Dayton Area Health 
Plan. With bipartisan support, we have been able to get at least 2 
waivers on this over the last few years.
  Mr. Speaker, the current waiver for the Dayton Area Health Plan 
expires at the end of this year. H.R. 1878 will provide relief until a 
State-wide plan called OhioCare goes into effect.
  I would like to thank the bill's sponsor, Mr. Hobson; the chairman 
and ranking member of the Commerce Committee, Messrs Bliley and 
Dingell; and the chairman and ranking member of the Health and 
Environmental Subcommittee, Messrs. Bilirakis and Waxman, for their 
support of this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hobson].
  Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Republican leadership 
for scheduling this bipartisan bill so we can keep the Dayton Area 
Health Plan running into the new year. Also, I want to thank Tony 
Hall--together we've extended this waiver twice already.
  I was the Ohio Senate health chairman in charge of overseeing the 
establishment of a Medicaid managed care demonstration project in 
Dayton, OH. The Dayton Area Health Plan has operated successfully under 
a waiver from certain Federal Medicaid requirements for nearly a 
decade.
  The current waiver expires December 31, 1995, and, unless the waiver 
is extended, the Dayton Area Health Plan will be forced to close its 
doors to 25,000+ low-income beneficiaries.
  H.R. 1878 provides the temporary regulatory relief that's necessary 
to allow the Dayton Area Health Plan to continue to serve its customers 
into the new year.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just say that I appreciate the support of the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hobson] and his long-term support and 
direction that he has given to this important piece of legislation. We 
have worked together very carefully and in a very good way over the 
past few years to really help with this plan. It has been a good plan, 
we think, a pioneer plan, that has saved a lot of money for the 
taxpayers, not only in Dayton, OH, but for the country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I also agree that this has been a successful plan. It is 
one we need to continue to waive in this particular case.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Burr] that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1878, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to extend for 4 years 
the period of applicability of enrollment mix requirement to certain 
health maintenance organizations providing services under Dayton Area 
Health Plan.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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