Brooks-LaSure previously served as a senior CMS official under the Obama administration and worked for the House Ways and Means Committee. In addition, she would be the first Black woman to hold the post if her nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. On May 27, following a bipartisan confirmation by the U.S. Senate, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra formally swore in Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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The Better Medicare Alliance recently unveiled their annual “State of Medicare Advantage” report for 2021 which shows a significant increase in near-universal satisfaction, greater consumer savings, and better health outcomes in Medicare Advantage, as compared to Traditional FFS Medicare. More Medicare Advantage plans are covering home-based care services in 2021 than ever before. Within the State of Medicare Advantage report, readers can also access an additional brief called “Overview of Medicare Advantage Supplemental Healthcare Benefits and Review of Contract Year 2021 Offerings” that provides specifics on home care benefit offerings under Medicare Advantage plans. Figure 2 of this brief details a summary of expanded supplemental benefits. All of the home care benefit offerings have expanded significantly since 2019 and 2020. HCAOA Partners with ATI Advisory to Position Members to Contract with Medicare Advantage Plans4/21/2021 HCAOA is pleased to announce a new partnership with ATI Advisory to offer members state-specific data on the Medicare Advantage landscape to pinpoint which plans are offering home care as a benefit, and how they can get connected. This unique program includes the full state report and two free webinars with the team at ATI Advisory to develop your agency’s action plan to work with Medicare Advantage plans. Enrollment in private Medicare Advantage health plans is steadily increasing and benefit packages are evolving. For the third year, plans are allowed to offer non-medical supplemental benefits including in-home support services and adult day care. Where are these benefits being offered across the country and what do these benefits mean today for your organization and clients? Is there a longer-term opportunity to consider?
New Analysis: Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Grew in 36 of 41 Categories for 20212/17/2021 HCAOA is a proud ally of the Better Medicare Alliance, which released new research last week showing that Medicare Advantage offerings for 2021 increased in 88% of supplemental benefit types - that's 36 out of 41 categories, which is an opportunity for home care to be available to more Medicare beneficiaries. HCAOA Associate Member AlayaCare is hosting a webinar next week to highlight the value of hospital to home programs and how technology supports this model. As hospital-at-home models become more popular and more beneficial to both patients and health care organizations, those that have recognized the perks of home-based care prior to the COVID-19 crisis may have the upper hand.
Total national healthcare spending in 2019 grew 4.6%, which was similar to the 4.7% growth in 2018 and the average annual growth since 2016 of 4.5%, according to a study conducted by the Office of the Actuary at CMS and published recently in the journal Health Affairs. This report includes health expenditure data though 2019 and therefore does not include any of the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on health care spending. HCAOA Executive Director Vicki Hoak recently submitted a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal in support of a recent article about home-based care, which was published this week. The article, “Nursing Homes Face Persistent Fall in Use” (12/22/20) outlined that when Medicaid rules were created in the 1960s, ‘rest homes’ were the only option for seniors and that the government must now listen to citizens who want to stay at home as they age. CMS Announces New Model for Medicaid MCOs Serving Dual Eligibles – Opportunity for Home Care!1/6/2021 The CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation announced a new model for Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to better serve enrollees who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid MCOs do not have an incentive to coordinate care in a way that reduces costs for dually eligible beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has outlined comprehensive steps to provide care to patients outside a traditional hospital setting amid COVID-19 hospitalizations across the country. These flexibilities include allowances for safe hospital care for eligible patients in their homes and updated staffing flexibility designed to allow ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) to provide greater inpatient care when needed. Building on CMS’s previous actions to expand the availability of telehealth across the nation, these actions are aimed at allowing health care services to be provided outside a hospital setting while maintaining capacity to continue critical non-COVID-19 care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the list of telehealth services that Medicare Fee-For-Service will pay for during the coronavirus public health emergency. Since the beginning of the pandemic, CMS has added more than 135 services to the Medicare telehealth services list – such as emergency department visits, initial inpatient and nursing facility visits, and discharge day management services.
Open enrollment for Medicare Advantage plans and Part D prescription coverage began last week on October 15 and ends on December 7. When it’s over, the plans will be in place for a full calendar year. Remind your clients to do their research and enroll now. Many states and local senior resources offer assistance, and there are free tools on the CMS website to help seniors compare plans. Last week, CMS released new data showing a 46% increase in the number of Medicare Advantage plans offering supplemental benefits such as home care – from 500 plans in 2020 to 730 in 2021. The most offered supplemental benefits include in-home supportive services, support for caregivers, home-based palliative care, adult day and therapeutic massage.
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