[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 8, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4972-S4973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SANTORUM (for himself, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. 
        Kyl, Mr. Coleman, and Mrs. Clinton):
  S. 823. A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to 
provide for the expeditious coverage of new medical technology under 
the Medicare program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I am pleased to join today with my 
colleague, Senator Blanche Lincoln, as well as Senators Jeffords, Kyl, 
Coleman and Clinton, in introducing the Medicare Innovation 
Responsiveness Act of 2003.
  Given all that is going on in the world today, it is sometimes 
difficult to focus on issues related to Medicare coverage, coding and 
payment procedures. But we must, because every day there are seniors 
and people with disabilities in need of lifesaving and life-enhancing 
medical treatments and technologies.
  And every day, there are creative people in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, 
and all across our great country developing new ways to prevent and 
treat illness and save lives. Medicare patients should not be denied 
access to these new procedures and technologies because the Medicare 
program is slow to respond to innovations in medical care and the 
changing needs of patients.
  Congress passed legislation with strong bipartisan support in 1999 
and in 2000 to try to address these problems. Unfortunately, however, 
Medicare has failed to deliver on key commitments in the legislation 
and these barriers persist.
  That is why we are here today--to introduce legislation that will 
finally make timely access to lifesaving advanced medical tests and 
treatments for Medicare patients a reality. Our bill builds on 
constructive approaches the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 
CMS, has taken recently to help Medicare keep up with advancements in 
treating patients.
  For example, CMS recently took proactive, unprecedented steps to 
address one of the newest innovations in minimally invasive cardiology 
that will soon be available for patients: drug-eluting stents. These 
tiny medal scaffolds, long-used to reopen blocked heart arteries, can 
be more effective now that researchers have combined them with time-
released drugs to prevent the growth of unwanted cells. The Agency 
established new hospital inpatient codes and reimbursements for the new 
stints because it recognized that the technology will quickly become 
the standard of care when approved by

[[Page S4973]]

FDA in the coming weeks. The Agency understood the potential the stents 
hold to transform patient care and health care delivery--and acted in a 
timely fashion.
  This forward-looking approach should be the rule, not the exception, 
in dealing with new treatment breakthroughs. And that is what our 
legislation today seeks to achieve.
  At an event where Senator Lincoln and I spoke to underscore the need 
for this legislation, we were pleased to be joined by medical 
professionals from our respective states, people who took time out of 
their busy schedules to come to Washington, DC and help us explain the 
importance of some of the provisions in the bill we are introducing 
today.
  For example, three years after a mandate from Congress, Medicare has 
yet to provide special transitional payments for any new medical device 
used in the inpatient setting. As a result, Medicare will continue to 
take anywhere from 15 months to five years to integrate a new medical 
technology into the inpatient setting--and that is after it has already 
been approved as safe and effective by the FDA. Dr. Mark Wholey from 
Pittsburgh is involved in research on carotid stenting, and he 
commented today on the promise of this new treatment option and the 
importance of reducing barriers to Medicare patient access for new and 
innovative technologies.
  In another area of coverage policy, Medicare discourages development 
of breakthrough devices like heart assist devices because it does not 
cover the routine costs of clinical trials for many innovative 
technologies. Dr. Walter Pae, Professor of Surgery at Penn State 
University, also came to Washington today to share some details of the 
pioneering work he is doing at Hershey Medical Center and to reinforce 
the importance of patient access to these promising clinical trials.
  These reforms are reasonable and bipartisan. Most importantly, they 
are critical to patients in need of new and breakthrough technologies. 
I look forward to working with Senator Lincoln and my colleagues on the 
Finance Committee in moving these important reforms in Committee and 
the Senate this year.
                                 ______