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CCH Details Medicare, Medicaid Changes in Deficit Reduction Act

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., March 23, 2006) – Those who need to know the letter of the law on Medicare and Medicaid now have a complete resource for understanding the important provisions affecting those programs in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), a wide-ranging measure that became law in February 2006. The DRA will reduce Medicare spending by $6.4 billion and Medicaid spending by $4.7 billion from 2006 to 2010, making significant changes in hospital reimbursement, Medicare Advantage plan reimbursement, Medicaid qualification and the cost of health care to Medicaid recipients. Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 – Title V (Medicare) and Title VI (Medicaid) – CCH Law and Explanation, from CCH, part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, is a thorough desk reference that makes clear what’s changing, how it’s changing and when it’s changing (303 pages; $100; onlinestore.cch.com).

“This book is designed with the working professional in mind. It’s easy to find an explanation for every provision of the Act, every effective date, every relevant committee report, every piece of legislative language, every place where previous acts have been changed,” said Susan Berry, CCH product manager.

After a quick overview of the major statutory changes of the Act, CCH-prepared explanations are arranged to follow the text of the legislation. The explanatory paragraphs include citation lines that indicate the section of the Act explained and the corresponding sections of the Social Security Act or other acts that are added, amended or repealed. They also provide a cross-reference to the paragraph numbers at which the statutes as amended by the Act are reproduced. In addition, they provide a cross-reference to the relevant discussion in the conference committee report. Before each citation line is a sentence indicating the effective date of the provision.

The book also details the amended Social Security Act provisions. CCH reflects the Medicare and Medicaid changes mandated by the Act in the Social Security Act provisions affected. The underlying provision making the change is identified for clarity and ease of use. Deleted material, or the text of the Social Security Act provision prior to the amendment, appears in amendment notes that follow each reconstructed Social Security Act provision. Each amendment note includes the applicable date and each amended Social Security Act provision includes references to both the CCH explanation and the conference committee report of that amended, added or repealed Social Security Act provision.

The sections of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 that do not amend the Social Security Act appear in full text in Act section order.

Special tables provide at-a-glance listings of the Social Security Act sections added, amended or repealed, cross-referenced to the DRA section; DRA sections cross-referenced to Social Security Act sections that have been amended; cross-references to provisions of other acts of the DRA; non-code Act sections cross-referenced to the CCH paragraph where they are printed; and Social Security Act sections cross-referenced to the CCH explanation paragraph numbers. Finally, a Topical Index for the explanations appears at the end of the book.

Availability and Pricing

For more information or to order the 303-page Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 – Title V (Medicare) and Title VI (Medicaid) – CCH Law and Explanation call 800- 449-9525 or visit onlinestore.cch.com. Single copy price is $100; quantity discounts are available.

About Wolters Kluwer Law & Business

Wolters Kluwer Law & Business is a leading provider of research products and software solutions in key specialty areas for legal and business professionals, as well as casebooks and study aids for law students. Its major product lines include Aspen Publishers, CCH, Kluwer Law International and Loislaw. Its markets include law firms, law schools, corporate counsel and professionals requiring legal and compliance information. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, a unit of Wolters Kluwer, is based in New York City and Riverwoods, Ill.

Wolters Kluwer is a leading multinational publisher and information services company. The Company’s core markets are health, corporate services, financial services, tax, accounting, legal, regulation, and education. Wolters Kluwer has annual revenues (2005) of €3.4 billion, employs approximately 18,400 people worldwide and maintains operations across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its depositary receipts of shares are quoted on the Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. For more information, see www.wolterskluwer.com.

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