Wednesday, July 11, 2012

U.S. Proposes Bigger Medicare Payouts to Avoid Bomb-Grade Uranium

U.S. Proposes Bigger Medicare Payouts to Avoid Bomb-Grade Uranium

The Chalk River medical isotope production facility in Ontario, Canada. The Obama administration is formally seeking higher Medicare reimbursements for diagnostic procedures using radiological isotopes that were not produced with bomb-grade uranium (Atomic Energy of Canada photo). By Douglas P. Guarino
Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is formally proposing to pay hospitals and other medical facilities more if they conduct diagnostic procedures on their Medicare patients using radiological isotopes that were not produced with bomb-grade uranium (see GSN, June 26).
The plan is tucked away in a wide-ranging, 687-page proposed rule issued by the Health and Human Services Department on Monday that makes numerous adjustments to the Medicare payment system. It is the latest move by Washington to wean the United States off medical isotopes produced with highly enriched uranium, which could be used to make a nuclear weapon if it fell into the wrong hands.

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