President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to give Medicare
Advantage (MA) plans more flexibility and reduce regulations for certain
medical professionals.
Trump will deliver a speech Thursday at The Villages retirement community in Florida to outline the order, which directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop regulations that would give MA beneficiaries more diverse options in their plans.
The executive order is part of an effort by the Trump administration to contrast Medicare with single-payer proposals such as “Medicare for All.”
“Today’s executive order reflects importance on protecting what works on our system and fixing what is broken,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said on a call with reporters previewing the order.
Azar said part of the order calls for HHS to propose reforms to Medicare that enable providers to practice “at the top of their licensure.”
He said there are “artificial restraints” that prevent nurse practitioners and physician assistants from providing care they are licensed for and that the agency will pursue regulations to loosen such restraints.
The order will also call for a payment model that adjusts supplemental MA benefits to give beneficiaries capped or monetary rebates for seeking high-value care.
It also seeks to ensure that the fee-for-service part of Medicare, where a majority of beneficiaries get care, is not disadvantaged compared to MA plans.
“The executive order commissions us to look at all regulations, guidance and steering fee for service,” Azar said. “How does the enrollment process work when people come in?”
He added that the order will also deal with improving access through network adequacy in MA plans.
“Part of that will now include being able to factor in the availability of telehealth services or other innovative technology as part of providing access through MA plans,” Azar said.
MA plans will be able to provide telehealth as a supplemental benefit starting in 2020.
The executive order comes as the Trump administration has touted lower premiums on MA. Premiums for 2020 MA plans are expected to decline in 2020 by 14% compared with 2019.
The average premium is likely to be the lowest since 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has said.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/trump-to-sign-executive-order-giving-ma-more-flexibility-improve-medicare
Trump will deliver a speech Thursday at The Villages retirement community in Florida to outline the order, which directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop regulations that would give MA beneficiaries more diverse options in their plans.
The executive order is part of an effort by the Trump administration to contrast Medicare with single-payer proposals such as “Medicare for All.”
“Today’s executive order reflects importance on protecting what works on our system and fixing what is broken,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said on a call with reporters previewing the order.
Azar said part of the order calls for HHS to propose reforms to Medicare that enable providers to practice “at the top of their licensure.”
He said there are “artificial restraints” that prevent nurse practitioners and physician assistants from providing care they are licensed for and that the agency will pursue regulations to loosen such restraints.
The order will also call for a payment model that adjusts supplemental MA benefits to give beneficiaries capped or monetary rebates for seeking high-value care.
It also seeks to ensure that the fee-for-service part of Medicare, where a majority of beneficiaries get care, is not disadvantaged compared to MA plans.
“The executive order commissions us to look at all regulations, guidance and steering fee for service,” Azar said. “How does the enrollment process work when people come in?”
He added that the order will also deal with improving access through network adequacy in MA plans.
“Part of that will now include being able to factor in the availability of telehealth services or other innovative technology as part of providing access through MA plans,” Azar said.
MA plans will be able to provide telehealth as a supplemental benefit starting in 2020.
The executive order comes as the Trump administration has touted lower premiums on MA. Premiums for 2020 MA plans are expected to decline in 2020 by 14% compared with 2019.
The average premium is likely to be the lowest since 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has said.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/trump-to-sign-executive-order-giving-ma-more-flexibility-improve-medicare
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.