MedPAC has advised Congress that value-based payment reform and encouraging the use of post-acute care can help the Medicare program increase savings and improve beneficiary outcomes, the group said in...
The Medicare Board of Trustees (MBT)’s latest report anticipates that Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund will deplete by the year 2026 as Medicare spending continues to outgrow...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has appointed five new public policy and healthcare payment experts to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).
GAO chief Gene L. Dodaro,...
CMS’s prior authorization programs for durable medical equipment (DME) and mobility devices created between $1.1 and $1.9 billion in Medicare savings from 2012 to 2017 by controlling unnecessary...
The Medicare Advantage (MA) bidding process requires more competition to increase the availability of high quality MA plans for beneficiaries and reduce federal spending, according to a new Brookings...
CMS has issued an interim final rule that raises Medicare payments for durable medical equipment (DME) to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have access to critical medical devices.
The rule will raise DME...
CMS is planning to lower Medicare prescription drug costs through a final rule that allows members to purchase less expensive biosimilars and generic drugs and increases the potential value of Medicare...
CMS should work to align quality and performance standards across all Medicare programs, including Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) initiatives, says...
US healthcare spending totaled $3.3 trillion in 2016, representing a 4.3 increase in the spending growth rate since 2015. While spending continued to rise, the rate of increase was actually slower...
Anthem BlueCross BlueShield plans to add value onto consumer Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by offering personal emergency response systems (PERS) to beneficiaries, the payer announced in a series of...
The Physician Organization of Michigan Accountable Care Organization (POM ACO), a Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACO, helped the state save $8 million dollars on Medicare expenses by reducing...
Congress should consider a permanent renewal of the Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs) because of the consumer protections they provide and their market implications, AHIP wrote in a letter...
A statement released by HHS and CMS’s Medicare Board of Trustees (MBT) indicates that the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is likely to be depleted by the year 2029.
The report suggests...
Expenditures on healthcare grew at a historically low rate between 2009 and 2013, according to a recent report, defying the conventional wisdom that healthcare spending has skyrocketed.
A Robert...
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) issued ten long term care (LTC) federal policy recommendations to Congress. The report was completed as part of the group’s...
Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) may increase the risk of negative patient safety events or medication nonadherence for diabetics by limiting the variety of available diabetes testing...
Last week, the House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act by 392-26 votes. The 21st Century Cures Act affects the health insurance market through a provision that establishes small...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reduced the Medicare fee-for-service improper payment rate from last year’s 12.1 percent to 11 percent in 2016, The CMS Blog reports....
Healthcare spending may not be rising as quickly as in previous years, but it is still moving upwards. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Office of the Actuary (OACT)...
The Medicare program may be in trouble with regard to its financial standing. The latest Medicare Trustees report found that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund may be depleted in as little as six more...
