Obama HEU Reduction Proposal Insufficient, Health Care Providers Say

Obama HEU Reduction Proposal Insufficient, Health Care Providers Say

By Douglas P. Guarino
Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON – An Obama administration plan to change to the Medicare payment system for radiological isotopes used in diagnostic procedures would not give health care providers enough incentive to end their reliance on bomb-grade uranium, industry officials say.
The Health and Human Services Department in July proposed to pay providers more if they conduct diagnostic procedures on their Medicare patients using isotopes derived from low-enriched uranium. The plan – part of a wide-ranging proposed rule that would make numerous adjustments to the Medicare system -- is the latest attempt by Washington to wean the United States off medical isotopes produced with highly enriched uranium.
Proponents of the effort argue that terrorists could use HEU material to construct nuclear weapons, and that minimizing use of the substance reduces the possibility that it could fall into the wrong hands.
Under the HHS proposal, the government would pay health care providers an extra $10 every time they conducted a diagnostic procedure using radiopharmaceuticals that were “produced by non-HEU methods.” Currently most providers use technetium 99– a product of the decay of molybdenum 99 – derived from highly enriched uranium, but the Obama administration is looking to encourage production by other means.http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/obama-heu-reduction-proposal-insufficient-health-care-providers-say/