Doctors Implore AMA To Challenge Trump’s Health Agenda More Strongly
Cuts to Medicaid and NIH, along with trade tariffs, will make it harder to give Americans the kind and quality of care they need, doctors argue. "Quiet advocacy is insufficient," one AMA member said.
MedPage Today:
AMA Needs To Be More Aggressive In Fighting Trump's Health Funding Cuts
Several American Medical Association (AMA) members Saturday impatiently protested what they see as the lack of aggressive AMA pushback to many Trump administration budget cuts and other actions, specifically cuts to Medicaid and NIH. They also said at the AMA House of Delegates annual meeting that the AMA needs to be more vocal about how trade tariffs will increase the cost of drugs and other health services. (Clark, 6/8)
AP:
Trump's Big Bill Also Seeks To Undo The Big Bills Of Biden And Obama
Chiseling away at President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Rolling back the green energy tax breaks from President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. At its core, the Republican “big, beautiful bill” is more than just an extension of tax breaks approved during President Donald Trump’s first term at the White House. The package is an attempt by Republicans to undo, little by little, the signature domestic achievements of the past two Democratic presidents. (Mascaro, 6/7)
The Washington Post:
Trump Tax Bill Reveals Striking Shift In GOP’s Focus
The sweeping tax legislation Republicans in Congress are trying to send to President Donald Trump to sign into law underscores a striking evolution in the party’s economic agenda: away from tax policy that prioritizes economic growth and toward populist giveaways inspired by Trump’s campaign promises. House Republicans last month approved a $2.4 trillion proposal that included attention-grabbing provisions such as exempting tips and overtime pay from income taxes and a new deduction for seniors. The bill’s cornerstone, making up the vast majority of its price tag, is the permanent extension of the individual cuts from the 2017 GOP tax law, which lowered rates across income brackets. (Stein, 6/9)
Politico:
How Trump Broke The Politics Of Medicaid
Medicaid provides health insurance for nearly 80 million people but was long the electoral forgotten sibling of Social Security and Medicare. It’s clear in the ads: TV ads for House and Senate races last election cycle were 26 times as likely to mention Medicare, the health care program for seniors, as Medicaid, according to a POLITICO analysis of transcripts from AdImpact, which tracks political advertising. But that’s already changing. “I saw elections 16 years ago where people ran on cutting Medicaid, and there were folks who were on Medicaid who were in the crowd cheering them on,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2028. “That’s not the case of where we are today.” (Piper, Schneider and Otterbein, 6/9)
On Medicare and hospital-at-home programs —
Modern Healthcare:
UnitedHealth Presses Congress: Cut Pay For Medicare Home Visits
UnitedHealth Group wants Congress to crack down on how Medicare Advantage plans bill the government for home visits. On Thursday, the Medicare Advantage market share leader called on lawmakers to implement new standards for how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimburses for home visits. The same day, Humana offered similar suggestions to limit billing for conditions logged through in-home visits and chart reviews. (Tepper, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Pediatric Hospital-At-Home Programs Blocked By CMS, Providers Say
Standalone children’s hospitals say the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is unfairly preventing them from offering hospital-at-home. The Children’s Hospital Association – which represents approximately 200 children’s hospitals nationwide — wants the agency to allow all children’s hospitals to be able to provide hospital-level services at home through Medicaid. However, the waiver on which hospital-at-home programs are built runs through Medicare, creating roadblocks for standalone hospitals that don't participate in the program. (Eastabrook, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare:
How Medicare Advantage Claims Denials Weigh On Providers
New research on Medicare Advantage claims raises concerns that lost revenue from denials could affect providers' administrative costs and may discourage them from treating patients from groups that face higher denial rates. The study by Harvard University researchers, of 270 million Medicare Advantage claims from 2019, found of the 17% of initial claims that were denied, 57% of those were later overturned. (Broderick, 6/6)
MedPage Today:
Should The AMA Be Giving Members Advice On How To Opt Out Of Medicare?
Members of the AMA House of Delegates seemed divided on that question here Sunday. "I opted out of Medicare 9 years ago, and I've never been happier as a private-practice physician," said Rebekah Bernard, MD, of Fort Myers, Florida, speaking on behalf of the Florida delegation. "AMA has made Medicare payment reform our top priority, and yet ... there is very little political will to increase physician payment. Physicians need to be aware that we have the option of leaving this broken payment system, and perhaps if enough of us take that step, our legislators will hear our pleas to fix the Medicare payment model." (Frieden, 6/8)
