Brady: Shouldnt our local seniors have the best options in health care?
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) released the following statement on the passage of The Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act increases which increases the amount of time stakeholders have to review and provide feedback on changes to the popular Medicare Advantage program to ensure our local seniors continue to have access to quality low-cost plans.
Shouldnt our local seniors have the best options in health care? It was essential to provide more time for comment to ensure the Medicare Advantage program continues to provide low-cost competitive health insurance options to our local seniors. Congress must work together to strengthen and preserve the Medicare Advantage program for the millions of seniors that rely on it for their health insurance and protect the program for future generations."
Background: The Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015 extends the annual regulatory schedule for commenting on MA payment rates from 45 days to 60 days. As MA policy becomes more complex and more beneficiaries enroll in the program greater time for outside review and analysis improves the transparency of the process.
Other bills passed by voice vote:
H.R. 2505 Medicare Advantage Coverage Transparency Act of 2015: Requires CMS to publish Medicare Advantage enrollment data by Congressional District on an annual basis. This data increases transparency with respect to Medicare beneficiary enrollment and will assist Congress in making informed policy decisions moving forward.
H.R. 2582 Seniors Health Care Plan Protection Act of 2015: Delays authority of CMS for three years to terminate MA plans failing to achieve minimum quality ratings under the MA STARS Rating Program.
H.R. 2570 Strengthening Medicare Advantage through Innovation and Transparency for Seniors Act of 2015: Would establish a demonstration program requiring the utilization of Value Based Insurance Design to demonstrate that reducing the copayments or coinsurance charged to Medicare beneficiaries for selected high value prescription medications and clinical services can increase their utilization and ultimately improve clinical outcomes and lower health care expenditures.
