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This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to consider legislation to increase efficiency of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). ATR supports this legislation and urges all members to vote YES on the bill.

H.R. 3716, the “Ensuring Removal of Terminated Providers from Medicaid and CHIP Act,” sponsored by Congressman Larry Buschon (R-Ind.) will help ensure Medicaid enrollees receive quality care through two important reforms.

First, the bill ensures that providers terminated from Medicare or one state’s Medicaid program for fraud are also terminated from other state Medicaid programs.

Second, H.R. 3716 provides beneficiaries served under fee-for-service or primary care case management programs with a directory of physicians participating in the program.

Not only does this legislation increase medical efficiency, it also reduces spending by $28 million over the next ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The two components of the bill were approved unanimously from the House Energy and Commerce Committee late last year.  Members of Congress should now follow the lead of the Committee and swiftly pass this important, fiscally responsible piece of legislation.  ATR urges a Yes vote on the Ensuring Removal of Terminated Providers from Medicaid and CHIP Act.