Many leading organizations have starkly opposed CMS' Medicare Part B payment proposal, which will change the way the government reimburses physicians for certain drugs, according to The Hill.
Here are six insights:
1. Some of the proposed changes include lowering the add-on payments from 6 percent to 2.5 percent with an additional $16.80 flat payment and decreased cost sharing.
2. Opponents of the proposal, including Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, argue it will limit patients' access to treatment, thereby impeding patient care.
3. CMS is also trying to implement mandatory bundled payments for hospitals for procedures including hip replacements and heart surgery. The American Hospital Association says CMS is moving too swiftly in its changes. AMA Vice President Joanna Hiatt Kim said, "We are nowhere near having any lessons learned, but CMS is already proposing to expand it."
4. However, President Obama stands by the payment proposals saying leading organizations, especially those in the pharmaceutical company, oppose these proposals because it takes away from their profits.
5. President Obama's time in the White House is coming to a close, and many supporters want to get these proposals passed before a new candidate takes office.
6. Zeke Emanuel, MD, a former Obama administration health advisor and a professor at Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania, said, "The last few years they've been working on them and they're finally ready for prime-time and there is I think some sense that, you know, we've got to push it out now because if we don't push it out now our work may well go for naught."
More articles on coding & billing:
Future POTUS to deal with next ACA enrollment potential fallouts: 5 things to know
Cost drivers sparking insurance hikes — Outpatient procedures rank as #6
State insurance regulators voice opposition to proposed regulation on short-term health plans — 7 things to know