GOP Health Reform

A bipartisan bill aimed at making it easier for Medicare Advantage and Medicare drug plans to enter into so-called value-based pay contracts is expected to be introduced as early as next week, according to Council for Affordable Health Coverage President Joel White.

Anthem Inc. Public Policy Director Doug Saunders implored state officials, advocates and stakeholders to consider other options to shore up their local health insurance markets before turning to Medicaid buy-in, cautioning that such a program could hurt both the commercial insurance markets and Medicaid enrollees.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is defending the administration's decision to ask a federal court to throw out the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with preexisting conditions if it finds the mandate is no longer valid, and suggested that a win would allow the GOP to “start over” on health care reforms.

In the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, the Trump administration has seized every opportunity to link the entire Democratic Party to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Medicare for All proposal, even though the majority of Democratic candidates in the midterms do not support Sanders’ plan.

American Medical Association President Barbara McAneny on Tuesday (Oct. 16) raised concerns with a single-payer system based on Medicare, as well as a Medicaid buy-in being pursued in New Mexico, and said that moving people from commercial coverage to government-funded health care programs could cause practices to close, especially in rural areas, due to inadequate reimbursement.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Tuesday (Oct. 16) lamented CMS' lack of adequate legal authority to conduct Medicare prior authorization reviews that are routine in the private sector, coming as American Medical Association President Barbara McAneny told reporters that prior authorization can cause major disruptions to care and contributes to providers' administrative burden.

More than a dozen health care stakeholders recently filed briefs in support of groups that are asking a federal district court to immediately end implementation of the Trump administration’s rule expanding access to short-term health plans.

Michigan has asked CMS for permission to enter into outcomes-based contracts with drug manufacturers under its Medicaid program, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Bob Wheaton confirmed Monday (Oct. 15).

The Trump administration announced a new Medicaid chief Monday (Oct. 15): Mary Mayhew, a former Maine health official who has vociferously criticized Medicaid expansion and sought to tighten eligibility requirements in traditional Medicaid.