The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) have released a new data book, "Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid."  The merging of data to help inform Congress on the critical issue of dually eligible beneficiaries is an important step that Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has advocated.  Grassley has previously used information that was produced from jointly reconciled data by the two organizations that was the precursor to this report. Grassley made the following comment on this development.

"Providing better coordinated care and reducing costs for high-cost beneficiaries is critical for the future of Medicare and Medicaid.   All of us need to understand the needs and the costs of covering the dually eligible and other high-cost beneficiaries before we can find rational ways to control costs and preserve needed services.  I appreciate the work of these two expert commissions to inform the debate."

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware said today they will look for opportunities to advance their bipartisan proposal to provide coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity and the coordination of programs to prevent and treat obesity in Medicare and Medicaid.

"The costs to society caused by diabetes and obesity are tremendous," Grassley said.  "There are ways to reduce the incidence of both those conditions.  Working with the Finance Committee on a bipartisan basis and the Congressional Budget Office, I'm confident we can take steps to achieve better health for Americans battling these two conditions."

"I've long held that preventive measures are one of the best ways we can improve health outcomes and save money on health care," Rockefeller said.  "Chronic diseases like diabetes are expensive to manage and, if left unaddressed, lead to additional health problems down the road. Our effort works to prevent and manage obesity and diabetes through increased access to prevention programs for Medicare and Medicaid subscribers. This will lead to greater health care savings and has the potential to improve overall health outcomes which will boost the productivity and well being of our communities."

"We all know that obesity and diabetes are two of the main drivers of poor health and increasing health care costs in our country," Carper said. "If we do not rein in the growth of obesity and diabetes, this may be the first generation of Americans with a shorter life span than earlier generations.  Overweight and obese patients are at increased risk for cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and other adverse health outcomes. Spending on diabetes treatment alone is one of the fastest growing parts of Medicare. To get this epidemic under control, we need to ensure that Medicare covers the full range of therapies and treatments that might help lower our country's obesity rates and better prevent chronic diseases like diabetes."

Grassley, Rockefeller and Carper sponsored an amendment, which was offered and withdrawn, to the physician payments bill considered in the Finance Committee last week that would provide coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity and the coordination of programs to prevent and treat obesity in Medicare and Medicaid.  The proposal would establish diabetes prevention program services for eligible diabetes prevention program participants.  It also would broaden coverage of prescription drugs for weight loss management under Medicaid and Medicare Part D.

The proposal is meant to take advantage of existing anti-diabetes efforts and a new spate of federally approved weight loss drugs to address both diabetes and obesity, conditions that often interact.

Grassley, Rockefeller and Carper said they will look for legislative opportunities to advance this proposal in the coming months while continuing to work with other sponsors of the legislation including Sens. Al Franken, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.  The senators also recognized the work of several senators and House members in this issue area and said they hope for bipartisan advancement of proposals to combat obesity and diabetes.

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said today he will look for opportunities to advance his proposal to include pharmacists in Medicare's program encouraging providers to give coordinated, high quality care to their Medicare patients.

"Pharmacists can play a critical role in coordinated health care," Grassley said.  "As Medicare moves toward payment policies that reward integrated care, we should recognize the role pharmacists play in encouraging adherence with doctors' drug prescriptions."

Grassley filed an amendment to the physician payments bill considered in the Finance Committee last week that would include pharmacists in Medicare programs encouraging Accountable Care Organizations.  These are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who come together voluntarily to give coordinated, high quality care to their Medicare patients.  The coordinated care is meant to achieve the right care, especially for chronically ill patients, while avoiding wasteful duplication and preventing medical errors.

The organizations share in the savings they achieve for the Medicare program when they succeed in delivering high-quality care while avoiding wasteful duplication and spending.  Medicare currently does not promote pharmacists' participation in Accountable Care Organizations, even though pharmacists play a significant role in overseeing patients' prescription adherence.

Grassley said he will look for legislative opportunities to advance this proposal in the coming months.  He also co-sponsored an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware encouraging the development of quality metrics related to medication adherence.

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said today they will look for ways to advance their provision to improve independent living and community employment for teen-age and young adult Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities.

"We should use the power of the Medicaid and Medicare programs to improve options for people with disabilities," Grassley said.  "Our proposal promotes creativity and coordination to improve outcomes for these individuals.  I look forward to continuing to work with the Finance Committee on a bipartisan basis and the Congressional Budget Office to make it a reality."

"There have been too many stories of disabled individuals being taken advantage of in the workplace," Wyden said. "Our proposal encourages states to use creative and innovative approaches to improve employment equity and help young people with disabilities become as independent and successful as possible."

Grassley and Wyden sponsored an amendment, which was offered and withdrawn, to the physician payments bill considered in the Finance Committee last week that would create Medicaid bonuses for states that think creatively in coordinating services for the disabled across several programs - including vocational rehabilitation, education, housing, and transportation - that lead to more independent living and employment within the community.  The proposal is directed at individuals ages 14 to 30 years old.

Grassley and Wyden said Medicaid and Medicare are such major programs that they can and should help drive better outcomes for the participating individuals.  The amendment took the approach of using Medicaid funding to create incentives to increase opportunities for youth with disabilities.  With more coordination of health care and support services than exists now, Medicaid could lead to improved health for individuals with disabilities that could lead to independent living and employment.

Grassley and Wyden said they will look for legislative opportunities to advance this proposal in the coming months.