American College of Physicians: Recommendations for Ensuring Medicare’s Solvency, Reducing Costs, and Maintaining Access to Affordable Care for Beneficiaries
Submitted By Anonymous, Created 04/20/2012 - 16:45
- It must lead paradigm shift in nation’s health care system by testing & accelerating adoption of new care models that improve population health, enhance patient experience, reduce per-beneficiary cost
- To improve the way health care is delivered and ensure the future of primary care, the College recommends that Medicare accelerate adoption of the patient centered medical home model model
- ACP does not support conversion of the existing Medicare defined benefits program to a premium support model. However, ACP could support pilot-testing of a defined benefit premium support option
- ACP supports policies to ensure that Medicare Advantage plans are funded at the level of the traditional Medicare program
- Medicare eligibility age should only be increased to correspond with the Social Security eligibility age if affordable, comprehensive insurance is made available to those made ineligible for Medicare
- ACP supports continuing to gradually increase Medicare premiums for wealthier beneficiaries as well as modest increases in the payroll tax to fund the Medicare program
- Congress should consider giving Medicare authority to redesign benefits, coverage and cost sharing to include consideration of the value of the care being provided
- ACP supports combining Medicare Parts A and B with a single deductible under specified circumstances
- Medigap plans – should only be altered in a manner that encourages use of high quality, evidence-based care and does not lead Medicare beneficiaries to reduce use of such care because of cost
- Medicare should provide for palliative and hospice services, including pain relief, patient and family counseling, and other psychosocial services for patients living with terminal illness
- The costs of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program should be reduced by the federal government acting as a prudent purchaser of prescription drugs
- Congress should amend the authority for IPAB in specified ways, including giving Congress the right to approve or disapprove the board’s recommendations by a simple majority
Source: American College of Physicians
Source URL: http://www.acponline.org/pressroom/reforming_medicare.htm?hp