CMS’ PR boasting the flawed competitive bidding program continues to litter national media outlets. Today, the Kaiser Health Network issued a summary of CMS’ propaganda from several new sources where once again, the agency touts taxpayers’ savings without harming any patients.
See below to view the summaries from KHN. Click in the name of the news source to view the whole article.
Once again, CMS’ recent PR blitz was neither coincidental nor an accident. The agency is aware of the traction the Market Pricing Program (MPP) is gaining with our members of Congress, as well as the impending CBO score of the proposal (see John Gallagher’s blog here). As most are aware, the MPP would require CMS to make fundamental changes to ensure a financially sustainable program. It uses a state-of-the-art auction system to establish market-based reimbursement rates around the country.
Providers need to ensure that they stay in front of CMS’ efforts to curb support for stopping and replacing the current bidding program. Please be sure to contact your local media to inform them of how this program affects small businesses and patient access to quality care and equipment. You should also continue communicating with your members of Congress on this issue.
IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO GET BENEFICIARIES AFFECTED BY ROUND 1 INVOLVED IN EFFORTS TO CALL CMS OUT ON ITS CLAIMS! If you know of any Medicare beneficiaries who have experienced access issues, encourage them to get involved and to speak up! People for Quality Care, which is part of the VGM Family, may be able to assist with getting your patients’ voices heard.
The following videos from People for Quality Care may be used when reaching out to your local media and legislators. The videos feature real Medicare beneficiaries, referral sources, and/or providers who discuss patient-access issues because of competitive bidding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fris3PKnkQs&list=UUP6e0Mmdt-b4AAeXLdDZr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2GobUh9ze4&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXsuCWebZb0&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB6zRgdX4Eg&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2JXc1kEwro&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-KPPB0eBDo&list=UUP6e0Mmdt-b4AAeXLdDZr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjD48-QGq-g&feature=youtube_gdata_playe
Click here for a packet of information to use with your local media and legislators. It includes the Cramton Analysis and the Dr. Brown Study on rural access.
The following is the summary from Kaiser Health Network regarding CMS’ PR.
Obama Administration Will Expand Use Of Competitive Bidding In Medicare
A year-long experiment found that the competitive bidding approach saved money without harming beneficiaries. It also made inroads against waste and fraud.
The New York Times: In A Shift, Medicare Pushes Bids
The Obama administration said Wednesday that it would vastly expand the use of competitive bidding to buy medical equipment for Medicare beneficiaries after a one-year experiment saved money for taxpayers and patients without harming the quality of care (Pear, 4/18).
The Associated Press: Competition Cuts Down Medicare Fraud
A yearlong experiment with competitive bidding for power wheelchairs, diabetic supplies and other personal medical equipment produced $200 million in savings for Medicare, and government officials said Wednesday they are expanding the pilot program in search of even greater dividends. The nine-city crackdown targeting waste and fraud has drawn a strong protest from the medical supply industry, which is warning of shortages for people receiving Medicare benefits and economic hardship for small suppliers. But the shift to competitive bidding has led to few complaints from those in Medicare, according to a new government report (Alonso-Zaldivar, 4/18).
CQ HealthBeat: Medicare Officials Say Equipment Bidding Program Saved $200 Million
A controversial competitive bidding program to supply medical equipment to Medicare patients in nine markets netted $202 million in savings in its first year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Wednesday. Contrary to the claims of critics, the program hasn’t led to disruptions in access to products such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, and oxygen supplies, Deputy CMS Administrator Jonathan Blum said in a telephone press briefing. Nor has it led to adverse health effects requiring more hospital, doctor, or skilled nursing care, added Blum (Reichard, 4/18).
The Hill: Obama Administration Claims $42.8 Billion In Savings From Health Law Bidding Program
The healthcare reform law’s competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment such as hospital beds and wheelchairs is projected to save $42.8 billion over the next 10 years, the Medicare agency said in a report Wednesday. Competitive bidding, an effort to replace Medicare’s standard fees with market competition among providers, was created by the 2003 Medicare reform law and began on Jan. 1, 2011 in nine pilot metropolitan areas (Pecquet, 4/18).
California Healthline: A Second Opinion on Medicare ‘Double Counting’
[T]he ACA’s budget impact — and its Congressional Budget Office score — are making headlines again, sparked by a new study from conservative scholar Charles Blahous. Blahous has a prominent perch: He’s one of two White House-appointed trustees for Medicare. And he’s made an eye-catching contention: The CBO wonks are wrong, and ObamaCare could add as much as $527 billion to the U.S. deficit across the next decade. But this latest debate doesn’t expose anything new about the health law. What it does illustrate is the flawed approach to Medicare accounting — and how easy it is to gin up another fight over health spending (Diamond, 4/18).
