Page 15 - InsideOut Magazine

★★★ Was While the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
remains a politically divisive topic, its continued presence makes it an increas- ingly familiar part of the healthcare landscape. Most substantial parts of the legislation, such as insurance exchanges, subsidies and the requirement to carry health insurance, became effective in 2014. Yet since winning majorities in the House and Senate, Republicans are ex- pected to hold votes for a comprehensive repeal of the law. However, both parties appreciate that the ACA will likely and in large part remain unchanged. President Obama has indicated a willingness to work with Congress to make improve- ments and fix parts of the law. Repeal
of the medical device tax is one area of agreement. Patient-friendly mainstays, such as the elimination of pre-existing condition discrimination and the elimina- tion of caps on insurance benefits, have not been debated recently.
associated with home infusion of IVIG. While the study is underway, patients affected by primary immunodeficiency diseases may join and participate. Completion of the study is expected in 2016, with reports and recommenda- tions to follow.
SGR Patch and ICD-10 Implementation
In 2014, Congress demonstrated an interest in advancing a comprehensive, bipartisan solution to fix Medicare’s physician reimbursement and move away from the current system, which
is known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). Ultimately, legislators failed to rally behind a consensus proposal and passed a short-term patch to stall drastic cuts in reimbursement rates. The short-term SGR patch also included a delay in the implementation of new ICD-10 codes until October. Legislators, however, took action before the current short-term SGR patch expired in March. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) is currently completing testing on the ability to process new ICD-10 codes. If significant issues emerge in the system, legislators may consider yet another delay.
Medicare Coverage for
the Services of Pharmacists
In the last Congress, Congressmen Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Todd Young (R-IN), and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) introduced legislation HR 4190, which would allow pharmacists to bill Medicare for certain services in certain instances. This leg- islation was quite popular and attracted the support of over 130 bipartisan cosponsors. Much like the Patients’ Access to Treatments Act, supporters expect that a strong showing in the last Congress will lead to reintroduction and additional action this year. Further improving prospects for the bill is the fact that many congressional cosponsors sit on key committees of jurisdiction in the 114th Congress.
Ongoing Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
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