WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Daschle said budget negotiators have agreed to restore about $12 billion in Medicare cuts that threatened access to quality, affordable health care for Medicare beneficiaries in South Dakota and across the country.

Daschle, who authored and pressed legislation to deal with the problem, said the agreement softens the harsher-than-anticipated cuts to health care providers passed in 1997 as part of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA). The cuts have been especially hard on rural health care providers in South Dakota, he said.

"This agreement will go a long way fixing toward the miscalculations made in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act that have harmed hospitals, clinics and nursing homes across South Dakota, especially in rural areas," Daschle said. "Those miscalculations are now causing real hardships for some of our most vulnerable citizens. We did not anticipate these consequences when we passed the Balanced Budget Act, but I'm glad we've reached an agreement that addresses them."

In October, Daschle introduced legislation, the "Medicare Beneficiary Access to Care Act," to address the problem. The agreement includes several provisions from Daschle's legislation.

"The Medicare changes we made in 1997 made it difficult for beneficiaries to get the health care they need, where they need it, at a price they can afford. The changes were especially hard on many rural hospitals and health clinics," Daschle said. "In South Dakota and across the country, a lot of rural hospitals and health care clinics are just barely hanging on. We simply had to correct this problem before it got any worse."

The agreement's major provisions include:

* repealing arbitrary caps on rehabilitation therapy and replacing them with limits based on individual patients' specific needs. (The current limits are: $1,500 a year per patient for physical and speech therapy combined, and another $1,500 for occupational therapy);

* changing the payment system for nursing homes to better reflect the increased costs of caring for very sick patients;

* postponing additional cuts in home health care payments for one year and addressing problems that have come to light under the current interim payment system;

* moderating the cuts to teaching hospitals and rural hospitals and improving programs targeted at the most fragile rural hospitals with special protections for small rural hospitals;

* creating a new payment system so that health clinics are adequately reimbursed when they care for Medicaid patients; and

* protecting hospital outpatient departments from large losses when they move to a new payment system next year.

Daschle said that despite the miscalculations on Medicare, the 1997 BBA was an example of a bipartisan achievement by Congress and overall was very beneficial for the country. Not only did it help end 30 years of deficit spending, but it also extended the life of the Medicare Part A Trust Fund by 13 years. And it added important new preventive benefits, including mammograms and pap smears, for Medicare beneficiaries.
 
 

Washington D.C. -- South Dakota gun shop owners told U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) that they are seeing improvements in the National Instant Check System (NICS), after Johnson requested that U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno add personnel due to an increasing number of background checks. NICS is the background check program for firearm purchases authorized under the 1993 Brady Law.

Johnson is concerned, however, that a significant number of buyers are waiting as much as five days before knowing whether they can purchase a gun. The Senator said that indicates further improvements are still needed.

At Johnson's request, several South Dakota gun store owners logged any delays or busy signals they encountered during attempts to call the toll-free NICS hotline. Earlier this week, Johnson collected information from the owners to determine if delays with the NICS had been corrected.

"I am pleased that South Dakota gun store owners experienced fewer problems with the instant check system hotline," Johnson said. "With hunting season on, it's important that the NICS work as efficiently as possible without making gun shop owners and sportsmen wait an unreasonable amount of time for an answer. Gun shop owners have told me they don't want to be responsible for selling guns to criminals, but these lengthy delays are causing many to lose gun sales to law abiding citizens."

Several South Dakota gun store owners told Senator Johnson that most of the inquiries made of the NICS result in immediate answers. Nearly 20 percent, however, are taking between an hour and five days before an answer is released. The problem is that information on individuals from federal, state and local offices is inconsistent and incomplete, which is causing significant delays.

"The speed and efficiency with which NICS works all depends on the quality of the information received. I commend the South Dakota gun shop owners I have worked with for the leadership they've shown on improving the NICS. It's worth noting that the NICS is only a year old and the Department of Justice is still improving the system, but I urge them to work closely with state and local officials to better share information and ensure the NICS is a success by all accounts."

According to the FBI, since the NICS program began on November 30, 1998, 100,000 felons and fugitives have been prevented from buying firearms.
 
 

Washington D.C. -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) this week fought to restore funding to Social Service Block Grants, which South Dakota uses primarily to fund Child Welfare Programs. Also Johnson succeeded in doubling funding that helps working South Dakota families afford child care services.

Social Services Block Grants, which are administered by the states, were slashed $1 billion this week even after Congress had made promises to guarantee funding at a $2.38 billion level until welfare reform is reauthorized in 2002.

"Despite promises made, many Senate lawmakers chose to renege on their word and cut welfare reform funding by nearly half. Cuts of this magnitude would have devastating effects in South Dakota."

The South Dakota Social Services Department states that most welfare block grants in South Dakota go toward funding Child Welfare Programs such as day care and foster care services. "South Dakota would have lost $3.6 million, which would have had severe ramifications on state social services programs. I am pleased I was able to help restore funding to near previous levels of $2.35 billion and protect these programs that help South Dakota's children," Johnson said.

Senator Johnson also cosponsored and succeeded in passing an amendment to double funding allocated for children's day care services. The amendment would increase the discretionary funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to $2 billion.

"This truly is a momentous occasion for South Dakota families. Day care services are becoming increasingly more important to South Dakota working families," Johnson said. "South Dakota has set an aggressive agenda to improve its day care options. This increase in funding will continue on that track by assisting working families with the cost of day care, increasing salaries for day care workers and improving the overall quality for South Dakota children."
 
 

Washington D.C. -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) said he is pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a strong version of the Patients Bill of Rights legislation. He now is urging Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and House Speaker Dennis Hastert to bring House and Senate negotiators together in a conference committee to finalize a bill.

"The managed care reform bill passed in the House this week, despite objections from the Congressional Republican leadership, is a much stronger version than was passed in the Senate earlier this year. In fact, it is very similar to the Senate Democratic Patients Bill of Rights bill that I cosponsored and voted for," Johnson said.

"I am hopeful that a compromise can be worked out that is closer to the House version to provide better quality, access and consumer protection in the health care insurance industry, he said.

Johnson said that unfortunately it appears that the Republican leadership has no plans to organize a conference committee on Patients Bill of Rights, the next step in getting the legislation passed and signed into law.

"Americans want assurances that their insurance company will be there for them when they need them, and if the insurance company is not there for them, consumers want to have some recourse," Johnson said. "This legislation would allow patients to sue their HMO if the health plan denies them the medical care they request."

The House passed bill also makes it easier for patients to go to the doctor of their choice, to see a specialist and to get emergency room bills paid for. It also expands access to prescription drugs.

Johnson said the bill has widespread support among health care officials, seniors organizations and consumer groups. It has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, Families USA and the National Council of Senior Citizens, among others.

Washington D.C. -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today commended South Dakota retailers and public health officials for their success in curbing the illegal sale of tobacco to South Dakota youth. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released a report which indicates South Dakota has made strides toward improving anti-smoking education and lowering teen tobacco use.

According to the SAMHSA, in 1997, 31 percent of attempts by South Dakota minors to purchase tobacco products were successful. In 1999, the number of successful underage purchases dropped to 18.2 percent.

"We still have a long way to go, but all signs indicate that we are making progress in our efforts to curb the number of underage youth who are buying tobacco," Johnson said. "I think we can attribute this reduction to the diligence of retailers, heightened sensitivity of law enforcement, and an increased public awareness thanks to public health groups and youth anti-smoking campaigns."

SAMHSA's report is based upon compliance with the Synar Regulation, a 1996 law aimed at reducing youth access to tobacco. The law requires states to have and enforce laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco product to anyone under age 18. The objective is to have a maximum successful sales-to-minor rate of 20 percent by Federal Fiscal Year 2003. While South Dakota has already attained that goal, Johnson said he is hopeful the rate will continue to drop.

Since the Synar Regulation went into effect, the South Dakota Division of Alcohol and Drug abuse has worked to educate retailers. The state continues to work with the State's Attorney General's Office and local State's Attorneys on ways to decrease the number of youth who smoke. In addition, the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse will continue to educate local law enforcement, tobacco retailers and the general public on the state statute governing the sale of tobacco products.

Johnson said in addition to preventing underage sales of tobacco, efforts must also continue to curb overall use among youth. "We know that kids often have access to tobacco products without having to buy them at the convenience store," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, studies indicate that 38 percent of South Dakota high school students use tobacco products. That's too high, but with the cooperation of parents, retailers and public health groups will succeed in our efforts to encourage kids to stay away from tobacco."