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MedPAC offers recommendations for changes to dual eligibles program

Medicare's advisory panel recommended several changes that aim to improve and expand a small program for some of the highest-cost beneficiaries in the program.

5 Nov 2011

Endocrine Society strongly opposes MedPAC's recommendation on SGR

The Endocrine Society, representing more than 14,000 physicians and scientists in the field of endocrinology, strongly opposes the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) recommendation to reduce payments for specialists by 17.7 percent to partially fund the elimination of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.

10 Oct 2011

MedPAC approves draft proposal to junk Medicare's physician pay formula

The MedPAC plan, which relies on cuts to provider reimbursements to offset its proposal, has drawn opposition from physician groups and other provider organizations, which argue the approach would impact patients' access to care.

7 Oct 2011

MedPAC plan to revamp Medicare physician pay draws intense opposition

A proposal by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to revamp the Medicare physician reimbursement system is drawing intense opposition from providers who say commissioners are demanding too much in health industry cuts to pay for the overhaul. Sternly worded letters from the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA), along with physician specialty groups, will be in MedPAC's mailbox when the commission meets Thursday.

7 Oct 2011

MedPAC offers possible offsets for Medicare physician pay fix

Still, Obama's deficit-reduction plan, released yesterday, includes no funding for the doc fix. Some are eyeing a Medicaid adjustment that will garner $13 billion in savings as a possible cash cow - but competition is stiff for these funds.

21 Sep 2011

MedPAC prepares 'doc fix' proposal with full cost offset

The plan takes the commission into an area it generally tries to avoid: how to pay for such a major change to the Medicare system. Its suggestion is to pay for the SGR fix by reducing payments to specialists and imposing cuts on other parts of the health care sector.

17 Sep 2011

MedPAC recommendations may jeopardize access to care: ACS

Yesterday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reviewed draft recommendations related to the flawed and unsustainable Medicare Physician Payment system. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is pleased that the MedPAC has recognized the need to eliminate the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and move towards a reimbursement system that is based on quality of care.

17 Sep 2011

MedPAC proposal for additional reimbursement cuts to clinical laboratories are unsustainable: ACLA

The proposal now under consideration by the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee to slash Medicare reimbursement rates for clinical laboratory services as part of a broader effort to fix the Medicare physician-payment system would threaten the economic survival of many clinical labs. That was the message of a letter signed by ACLA President Alan Mertz and sent today to MedPAC Chairman Glenn Hackbarth.

17 Sep 2011

MedPAC 'doc fix' could undermine seniors' care, jeopardize local jobs, and destabilize key health sector

Commenting on an initial outline from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to address the sustainable growth rate formula used to fund physicians, the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care said news reports of proposed Medicare cuts of $49 billion over ten years for post-acute care providers -- on top of the many cuts already in effect -- would severely undermine seniors' care, jeopardize local jobs, and further destabilize a key U.S. health sector already reeling from a series of budgetary and regulatory actions.

17 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 16, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that, despite dire predictions by health law opponents about the Medicare Advantage program, its premiums are falling and its enrollment is rising.

16 Sep 2011

'Super committee' faces big challenges, lots of input from stakeholders

In order to lay out some specific options from which the panel might extract savings, House Ways and Means Democrats have provided a list of Medicare trims.

9 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Teaching hospital cuts; Medicare & debt deal politics; end-of-life care

Teaching hospitals educate the next generation of physicians—who are clearly essential for our future. But the importance of academic medical centers and teaching hospitals goes far beyond delivering care.

15 Jul 2011

Co-pay on home health care would limit patient access to clinically beneficial and cost-effective care

America's home health care community is calling attention to a newly released analysis by Avalere Health, LLC that underscores the significant impact cost sharing for Medicare home health services could have on low-income and clinically-disadvantaged seniors.

8 Jul 2011

Physician payment, home health out-of-pocket costs grab headlines

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's latest report casts the challenges surrounding Medicare physician payment as an "opportunity" to hasten needed reform. Additionally, an analysis by Avalere Health measures the impact of a proposal for home health co-payments.

17 Jun 2011

Medicare payment proposal for medical imaging triggers opposition

The top Republican and Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Health panel are pushing back against proposals to curb medical imaging tests paid by Medicare, arguing that they could restrict access to "life-saving medical tools."

2 Jun 2011

CAPP introduces new initiative on accountable care for public

The Council of Accountable Physician Practices, an affiliate of the American Medical Group Association, today announced a new initiative to provide the public, media, and policymakers with resources and information about the value of care coordination and accountable care to national health care reform.

5 Apr 2011

Home care and hospice nurses, aides and providers march on Washington to ensure the right of every American to be cared for in their home

Hundreds of home care and hospice providers will arrive in that nation’s capitol to keep the fight alive for the critical, high-value, high-quality care that is delivered every day to some of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals.

17 Mar 2011

MedPAC recommends patients help pay home health care costs

The advisory panel also urged that payments for physicians and hospitals be increased and that the home health care payment formula be reworked. In related news, a Ways & Means subcommittee hearing on Medicare payment issues quickly turned into an exploration of a GOP proposal to replace the program's current structure with a voucher system.

17 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: WSJ on Medicare Advantage, Texas Gov. Perry on 'Fed inroads,' Med students' health policy ignorance

The White House has apparently decided that it won't enforce the unpopular parts of its health-care plan until after the 2012 election. The latest evidence is its decision not to slash Medicare Advantage, the program that Democrats hate because it lets seniors choose private insurance options. ... Would this be the same Medicare Advantage that candidate Barack Obama vowed to eliminate, saying in 2007 that "We shouldn't be rewarding the insurance industry for deceiving and defrauding our seniors"? (2/25).

25 Feb 2011

More than 170 executives visit members of Congress to advocate for senior-friendly public policies

More than 170 executives from the senior living industry today visited with members of Congress to advocate for policies that will advance quality of life for America's seniors. The Assisted Living Federation of America facilitated the meetings and hosted a briefing about critical matters before Congress that could impact the future of senior living.

17 Feb 2011