Welcome to The ACP Advocate,
Check out today's first article about Medicaid expansion. ACP’s new policy paper, "Medicaid Expansion: Premium Assistance and Other Options," reviews some of the existing Medicaid expansion waivers and offers recommendations designed to influence stakeholders to ensure that Medicaid coverage is expanded in a manner that best suits patients. The paper notes that some past waiver experiments have been widely adopted by state Medicaid programs, including managed care delivery models and benchmark benefit plans.
Today's second article looks at legislation introduced in Congress that could dramatically improve access to telemedicine under Medicare. Because it's a proposal that we believe appears to have a chance of passing, ACP has written congressional leaders to indicate the College's support for the legislation. If you see your legislators while they're home this next week, tell them you like the CONNECT for Health Act.
In our final article, read about an independent review of three Medicare alternative payment models -- medical homes, accountable care organizations and bundled payments – suggesting that the models may be improving the quality of care, but they're not producing dramatic cost savings -- at least not yet.
The new report, written by researchers from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C., fleshes out the goals, financial incentives, size and potential implications of the three models and summarizes early results with respect to Medicare savings and quality.
For more coverage of what's happening in Washington, take a look at my award-winning blog, The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty. You can also follow me on Twitter @BobDohertyACP.
As always, please send your feedback and suggestions on this newsletter to: TheACPAdvocate@acponline.org.
Yours truly,
Bob Doherty
Senior Vice President
Governmental Affairs and Public Policy
American College of Physicians |
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| In the news |
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Use of Waivers for Medicaid Expansion Prompts Concerns
ACP policy paper examines risks, offers ways to protect patient needs
Though 31 states and the District of Columbia have embraced Medicaid expansion, a new twist has developed in the effort to get health coverage to more people, according to a new policy position paper by the Amer... (read more)
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Congress Considers Easing Restrictions on Telemedicine
ACP supports broader use of the technology to increase patient access to care
Legislation introduced in Congress could dramatically improve access to telemedicine under Medicare -- a proposal that appears to have a chance of passing, according to the American College of Physicians.
... (read more)
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| About this newsletter |
| The ACP Advocate is an e-newsletter, edited by the College's Washington, DC governmental affairs division, created to provide you, our members, with succinct news about public policy issues affecting internal medicine and patient care. To learn more about ACP's Advocacy and to access the ACP Advocate archives, go to www.acponline.org/advocacy. |
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| In focus |
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2016 Hardship Exemptions Extension |
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CMS is extending the application deadline for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program hardship exception process that reduces burden on clinicians, hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs). The new deadline for Eligible Professionals, Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals is July 1, 2016. CMS is extending the deadline so providers have sufficient time to submit their applications to avoid adjustments to their Medicare payments in 2017. |
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CMS Finalizes Changes To 2017 ACA Marketplace |
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the final annual Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for the 2017 coverage year, along with related guidance documents, as part of the ongoing efforts to promote healthy and stable markets that work for consumers and for insurers. To help stakeholders plan ahead, CMS also finalized the open enrollment period for future years. |
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