Senate Finance Committee Floats Chronic Care Discussion Draft
The Senate Finance Committee released wide-ranging, bipartisan draft chronic care legislation Thursday (Oct. 27) that among other reforms would extend by two years the Independence at Home demonstration, let kidney-failure patients enroll in Medicare Advantage, ease telehealth restrictions, and change how beneficiaries could be assigned to accountable care organizations. Jim Scott, a former CMS senior adviser who…
Expanding Home Dialysis Among Options in Draft Senate Bill
xpanding access to home dialysis therapy and a Medicare Advantage model that tests benefit designs are among the recommendations in a draft Senate committee bill to improve treatment for beneficiaries with chronic illness released Oct. 27. The Finance Committee Chronic Care Working Group, headed by committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and ranking member Ron Wyden…
Saving the Affordable Care Act Doesn’t Have to Cost the Sickest Their Coverage
Published by Morning Consult Six years ago, I and many others who have made our careers in health care policy cheered the Affordable Care Act being enacted into law. Though the ACA has proven to be a highly partisan issue, one important part of the law has consistently received wide support across the aisle —…
Dialysis Patients Get OK in House to Enroll in Medicare Plans
Published by Bloomberg BNA People suffering from end-stage renal disease would be allowed to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans under one of three health-care related bills passed by the House Sept. 21. Included in the three bills are provisions lifting Medicare regulations that prohibit end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients from enrolling in Medicare Advantage and…
Kidney Care Community Celebrates Passage of the House of Representatives’ ESRD Choice Act with Unanimous Vote
Bill will enable more choice for patients suffering from kidney disease, kidney failure by allowing much-needed access to Medicare Advantage plans Washington, DC – Kidney Care Partners – the nation’s leading coalition of patient advocates, kidney disease professionals, dialysis care providers, and manufacturers – today applauded the U.S. House for passing legislation that would offer…
House passes Medicare Advantage bill for ESRD patients
Published by Nephrology News & Issues The U.S. House has passed the ESRD Choice Act of 2016 (H.R. 5659). The bill, introduced in July by Representatives Jason Smith, R-Mo., John Lewis, D-Ga., Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and Tom Marino, R-Pa., would remove current government rules and restrictions that prevent end-stage renal disease patients from participating…
Charitable assistance: the new ‘pre-existing condition’
Published by The Hill Congress Blog For years, health insurance companies systematically denied coverage to Americans with pre-existing medical conditions. As a result, those who needed coverage the most—people with severe and chronic conditions—were unable to buy insurance or were charged exorbitant premiums that were equivalent to a denial of insurance. Today, insurers can no…
Can Bipartisanship Exist in Today’s Congress?
The last few years have been rough when it comes to Congressional bipartisanship, with the two parties fighting each other tooth and nail over the most basic legislation. Yet the other day I witnessed a rare moment of comity as the House Ways and Means Committee approved two health-care bills with universal support. The first…
W&M Passes Bills To Let Kidney-Failure Patients Enroll In MA; Help LTCHs
The House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday (July 13) passed two Medicare bills: one that lets kidney-failure patients enroll in Medicare Advantage, and another that again delays the so-called 25 percent rule for long-term care hospitals and that narrowly exempts four types of LTCHs from site-neutral pay measures. Kidney patient advocates praised the committee…
House Panel OKs Medicare Advantage Coverage for Renal Disease
Patients suffering from end-stage renal disease would have the ability to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans under a bipartisan bill (H.R 5659) approved by a House panel July 13. Under current Medicare regulations, end-stage renal disease patients are prohibited from enrolling in Medicare Advantage. The House Ways and Means Committee also approved H.R. 5713, known…