Blues Exert Pressure on Congress for HIPAA Delay

According to the Association For Electronic Health Transactions (AFEHCT), the Blues are exerting pressure for Congressional action before the August Congressional recess which begins August 3.

Action, if any, will take place first in the Senate. It will have to happen on the Senate floor as a unanimous consent motion. All Senators on the floor at the time will have to agree to it.

When Congressional staffers are asked about the likelihood of this happening, they refuse to say it won't happen.

Senator Baucus(D-MT), Chairman of the Finance Committee, is and will play a major role in decisions being made this week. At this point, whether the Senate acts on this issue revolves around Senator Kennedy. Kennedy is deeply concerned about the privacy issue. If a delay in the transaction standards continues to be perceived to cause a delay in the implementation of the privacy final rule, Kennedy is highly likely to quash any unanimous consent motion for a "delay" of the implementation of HIPAA.

In the House, the House Ways and Means Committee seems solidly opposed to any HIPAA delay proposals. But if a "delay" proposal passes the Senate, that will instantly change the situation in the House rather dramatically.

The Blues have been pressuring Congress to do something before the August recess. Does that mean that if Congress doesn't take action on their "delay" proposal before August 3rd, the Blues will discontinue their "delay" efforts in September?

Elements of the Blues proposal are changing. The situation is very fluid.