Congress Holds MACRA Oversight Hearing, Passes Omnibus Spending Bill, and More

On March 21, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) held a hearing on “The Implementation of MACRA’s Physician Payment Policies.” MACRA (the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015) ended the Sustainable Growth Rate formula and replaced it with the Quality Payment Program, which includes two tracks: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) track and the Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) track.

Last month, President Trump signed into law H.R. 1625, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which will fund the federal government through September 2018. The legislation – which is referred to as the Omnibus bill because it combines all 12 annual appropriations bills into one bill – includes an additional $3.6 billion for opioid-addiction and mental-health services. The bill does not include provisions to stabilize Affordable Care Act insurance markets or industry-backed changes to the Part D program.

On March 23, AAOS sent a letter regarding price transparency to US. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Todd Young (R-IN), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who are seeking feedback from the health care and patient communities as they develop legislation to improve price transparency in the health care market and lower costs.

“Real world experience and evidence-based policies from health care stakeholders and experts will be important to craft a policy that most positively affects consumers and involves best practices from providers and states,” the bipartisan group wrote to stakeholders. “We all agree that health care costs are too high and now is time to move towards a system that is more open, efficient, and accountable to the needs of the modern patient.”

On March 21 and 22, Congress discussed options to address the opioid addiction crisis in this country. The Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on health discussed a wide variety of legislation proposals to try and curb the progression of this unprecedented public health epidemic. Over 20 legislative bills were discussed by a panel of experts over the two days to try and provide a solution.

AAOS is pleased to announce, through the leadership of the Council on Advocacy (COA), a partnership with a national nonprofit organization focused on helping returning veterans find their next careers through one-on-one mentoring, networking, and online career advice. American Corporate Partners (ACP), founded in 2008, engages people in unique volunteer opportunities to provide career guidance to returning military as they transition back into civilian life. More than 20,000 post-9/11 veterans have participated in ACP’s programs.

Orthopaedic surgeons are especially well-positioned to engage with this program, as they serve military personnel and veterans every day, treating some of the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As mentors, participating orthopaedic surgeons will work with their mentee over the course of a year.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) ended the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) then replaced it with the Quality Payment Program. Remember – the Quality Payment Program has two tracks you can choose: Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) OR the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). AAOS has more information on our website, here: www.aaos.org/MACRA-DeliveryReform/.

House Lawmakers Hope to Bring Opioid Legislation to Vote Before Memorial Day, Stat, 3/29/18

FDA Working on a Dozen Polices to Boost Copycat Biotech Drugs, Reuters, 3/28/18

Inside the Collapse of a Bipartisan Obamacare Deal, Politico, 3/26/18

GOP Chairman Introduces Draft Bills to Curb Opioid Use, The Hill, 3/26/18

Federal Budget Deal Includes $4.6 Billion to Combat Opioid Epidemic, The Washington Post, 3/25/18

Health-Insurance Premiums Loom as Election Issue, The Wall Street Journal, 3/25/18

Insurance Market Stabilization Out: A Look at Congress’ Spending Omnibus, Modern Healthcare, 3/21/18

House Approves Right-to-Try Bill Giving Seriously Ill Patients Access to Experimental Drugs, The Washington Post, 3/21/18

AIDS Researcher Robert Redfield Named to Lead the CDC, The New York Times, 3/21/18

As U.S. Opioid Crisis Grows, Trump Calls for Death Penalty for Dealers, Reuters, 3/19/18

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