DCMedical News: Monday, April 9, 2018
DCMedical News
Washington, D.C.
Monday, April 9, 2018
They’re back, and so is DC Medical News, published every day either the House or the Senate is in session. Want to subscribe? See below.
THE BIG STORY TODAY IN HEALTH CARE
States: State innovation, state waivers, state initiatives, widely reported, the best summary, by the Center for American Progress, here, with an excellent bibliography. But innovation is not without controversy: see Wyden letter asking for GAO scrutiny here. States strapped for cash (WSJ, here) due to Medicaid, but Gruber said they would not be (here). Current round of federal invitation for state initiatives began with this letter, 3-14-2017, a good one for your files.
Medicare 2019 Benefit and Payment rule: 1145-pg. proposed rule scheduled for 4-16 Federal Register publication here.
DOCTORS, NURSES, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
New eight-country comparative study by Quentin, Berenson and others on paying hospital specialists, here.
Work requirements for Medicaid? Merritt Hawkins (MH) in a survey of 666 doctors done by email showed a large majority supporting work requirements as a condition for Medicaid coverage, notwithstanding opposition to that position by the AMA, the internists (ACP), the pediatricians (AAP) and a host of other health organizations. The same surveyor (MH) found (last August) 42% of doctors strongly supporting a single payer system, with 14% somewhat supportive.
HEALTH INSURANCE, MEDICARE, MEDICAID
MedPAC: Held its final pre-summer meeting April 5-6, preliminary to the issuance of their June report to Congress. Each presentation involved a “chapter” in that report. The Thursday topics included access to and use of emergency department services (slides here); Medicare Advantage data integrity (slides here); outcome measures for post-acute care (slides here); hospital quality incentives (members say too many of them, overlapping, confusing, ineffective; time for new ones says the staff, slides here); low value care (slides here). The Friday topics included ACOs (slides here); managed care for dual eligibles (slides here). Fall-Winter 2018 meetings of MedPAC are September 6-7, October 4-5, November 1-2 and December 6-7.
MACPAC: Sent report to Congress, favoring compulsory managed Medicaid. The March 15th report (here) recommended “streamlining” in order for states to compel Medicaid beneficiaries to enter managed Medicaid programs. The report notes that states can use different legal authority for the conduct of managed Medicaid programs, waivers under Sections 1115 or 1915(b), or state plan authority in Section 1932. These statutory bases for the conduct of managed Medicaid programs differ in the definition of which beneficiary populations can be required to enroll. MACPAC extols the virtues of “beneficiary protection,” building on the “large share of beneficiaries now enrolled in managed care,” “managed care’s value in coordinating care,” and “the need to conserve state and federal resources.”
Sequestration (Medicare and other): The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports each year on whether the appropriations enacted for the current fiscal year are over the so-called statutory caps on discretionary funding, which would require sequestration for that year. CBO has issued its report (here) and found that sequestration is not required for FY2018, now more than half over. CBO notes that the authority to determine actual sequestration rests with the Administration’s Office of Management and Budget, based on OMB’s own estimates of federal spending.
Senators Warren, Sanders and others have a health insurance bill, here.
EVENTS & MEETINGS
April 9
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., “Pulse: The Atlantic Summit on Health Care,” Boston, Obama-era speakers.
April 10
Becker’s Hospital Review, Annual Meeting, Chicago, through April 14.
April 11
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, final hearing on opioid crisis, focus on insurance
coverage, payment issues, provider concerns. Materials from day 1 and day 2 of hearings found here.
April 11
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association meeting, Boston, through April 14.
April 16
8:45 a.m. (continuing through April 18), National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, The Saratoga Hilton Saratoga Springs, NY, notice here.
May 6
American Hospital Association Annual Membership Meeting (Washington, DC), through May 9.
June 19
AHIP Institute & Expo, San Diego, through June 22.
June 24
HFMA Annual Conference, Las Vegas, through June 28.
FOR REFERENCE
Members of the Senate (here) and Members of Senate Committees (here), Senate Calendar (here).
Members of the House with their House Committees (here), House Calendar (here).
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE FOR DCMEDICAL NEWS
DCMedical News is published every day that either the House of Representatives or the Senate is in session.
Past issues can be accessed by clicking on “View this email in your browser.” Subscription information is found at the bottom of these pages. Trial subscriptions may end without notice.
April publication dates: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.
Notes to: Fred Hyde, MD, JD, MBA; fredhyde@aol.com