Alliance Issue Brief

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Senate Finance Committee Releases Document for Comment   In December 2015, the Senate Finance Committee’s Bipartisan Chronic Care Working Group released a Policy Options Document.  The following is an excerpt … [Read more...] about January 2016 – Senate Finance Request for Comments on Chronic Care & Other Issues

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: CONGRESS MITIGATES INCREASES IN 2016 PART B PREMIUM AND DEDUCTIBLE Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 – Overview On Monday November 2, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.  This … [Read more...] about November 2015 – Budget Act of 2015 Mitigates Increased Part B Premiums And Deductibles; Other Issues

ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE 1. Proposed Requirements of Participation for Nursing Facilities On July 16, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published proposed rules to revise the nursing home Requirements of Participation … [Read more...] about September 2015 – Proposed Rules for Nursing Facilities are Inadequate & Other Issues

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 1.Senate Finance Committee Addresses Medicare Appeals System On previous Alliance calls, we have discussed that through the Center’s extensive experience with the Medicare administrative appeals process, we continue to … [Read more...] about June 2015 – Reforming Medicare’s Appeals System & Other Issues

LEGISLATIVE/BUDGET UPDATE 1.Medicare Physician Payment (SGR) In an effort to address the perennial issue of payment for Medicare physicians -- the fundamentally flawed reimbursement system known as the sustainable growth rate or SGR – the … [Read more...] about April 2015 – The Potential Impact of the “Doc Fix” & Other Issues

LITIGATION UPDATE Recent Litigation Victories Bagnall v. Sebelius (Observation Status) No. 3:11-cv-01703 (D. Conn., filed 11/3/2011). In November 2011, the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the National Senior Citizens Law Center filed … [Read more...] about February 2015 – Live to Fight Another Day: Bagnall, Lessler & Other Issues

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE The Year Ahead 1. Legislative & Budget Landscape in a New Congress In the 114th Congress staring in January 2015, Republicans will control both the House of Representatives and the Senate.  What will this … [Read more...] about December 2014 – The Year Ahead & Other Issues

1.  LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: THE IMPACT ACT OF 2014 On October 6, 2014, President Obama signed into law the “Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014” or IMPACT Act.  The bill resulted from a bipartisan, … [Read more...] about October 2014 – The Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) & Other Isues

1.  CHANGES TO MEDICARE’S QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS (QIOs)     CMS has restructured its Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program to separate the beneficiary complaint review functions from the quality improvement … [Read more...] about August 2014 – Restructuring of Medicare’s Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO) & Other Issues