We have entered the second year of the Medicare Access and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015. It’s no secret that the costs of medical care—17.1% of the U.S. gross national product compared with 9.8% in Great Britain, 10.7% in Canada and 11.6% in France—have become an overwhelming driver for change….
The ACR praises Congressional leaders for passing the sweeping spending agreement, which includes a technical provision reversing a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) policy that would have linked physicians’ quality payment adjustments to Medicare Part B drug costs starting in 2019. The ACR also applauds the inclusion of provisions that permanently repeal Medicare…
ACR/ARHP leaders are once again heading to Washington, D.C., to advocate for legislation important to rheumatologists and their patients. On May 16–18, more than 100 representatives of the ACR Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Government Affairs Committee, RheumPAC, Committee on Rheumatologic Care, Insurance Subcommittee and Affiliate Society Council and others will talk to members of…
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) makes recommendations to Congress on Medicare policy including physician payments and patient access issues. These recommendations can directly impact rheumatology care coverage and rheumatologist reimbursement. Representatives of the ACR and partners recently met with new MedPAC Executive Director James E. Mathews, PhD, to discuss appropriate recognition of rheumatology care…
On July 28, 2018, the USP will publish preliminary updates to existing drug compounding standards that could affect whether rheumatologists maintain the ability to mix, combine or otherwise customize medications in office for individual patient use. The ACR, in concert with the American Medical Association (AMA) and others, is working to help ensure rheumatologists can…
Potential federal drug pricing proposals could shuffle Part B drug coverage into the Part D program and restructure reimbursements for new drugs, moves that would jeopardize patient access to care, explains Kent “Kwas” Huston, MD, a rheumatologist in Kansas City, Mo., and a member of the ACR’s Government Affairs Committee (GAC). “We believe Part D…
During a three-day special legislative session in March, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) signed into law the first bill in the U.S. intended to address a lack of transparency among pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and their role in the high cost of prescription drugs.1 The bill, H.B. 1010: Arkansas Pharmacy Benefits Manager Licensure Act, will…
A recent Politico article outlined the looming agenda facing Congress as 2018 begins: Fund the government, raise the debt ceiling, modify spending caps, address healthcare subsidies, allocate additional funds for disaster relief, and address the status of millions of undocumented young immigrants.1 Amid all that activity, the ACR, through its Government Affairs Committee (GAC) and…
If you are a news junkie, then you know that a tick-tock is a story that relies heavily on chronology, counting down the events of the day, in order, as inexorably as the ticking clock. These types of timeline stories have become very popular in the fast-paced world of modern politics, in which readers eat…
If there’s one thing America needs right now, it’s more money in politics. I’m being facetious, but I do want to ask all of you to invest in RheumPAC today. Given the relatively small size of our subspecialty, it is easy for lawmakers to overlook the consequences that laws may have on our field of…