21 Jul HCTTF Joins Coalition Letter Supporting the Value in Health Care Act of 2021
The Task Force joined a coalition letter supporting the Value In Health Care Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill that will accelerate Medicare’s move to value-based payment by boosting accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other alternative payment models (APMs).
The legislation strengthens the Medicare Shared Savings Program by updating the program to recognize and reward ACOs. Specifically, the bill increases shared savings rates, updates risk adjustment rules, eliminates the distinction between “high” and “low” revenue ACOs, modifies regional benchmarking to address the ACOs’ “rural glitch,” and restarts the ACO Investment Model. The bill also reinforces the shift to value-based care by extending the 5 percent Advanced APM incentive payments for an additional six years and authorizing a study of the overlap of various Medicare alternative payment models. Lastly, the bill mandates a report by the Government Accountability Office on health outcomes and racial disparities in Medicare patients cared for by ACO participants compared to traditional Medicare and not assigned to any other APM.