News Release
July 20, 2021
Fourteen Leading Health Groups Support Value in Health Care Act
WASHINGTON – Fourteen national health stakeholder groups in a letter today praised the reintroduction of a bipartisan House bill that will accelerate Medicare’s move to value-based payment by boosting accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other alternative payment models (APMs). The Value in Health Care Act was introduced today by Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).
The bill, called the Value Act for short, 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 artificial distinction between “high” and “low” revenue ACOs, addresses 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. The bill lastly 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.
“The Value in Health Care Act of 2021 makes a number of important reforms to strengthen Medicare’s value-based care models and Accountable Care Organizations to ensure that these models continue to produce high quality care for the Medicare program and its beneficiaries as well as to generate savings for taxpayers,” the letter to Congress states.
The letter was signed by AHIP, American Academy of Family Physicians, America College of Physicians, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, America’s Essential Hospitals, AMGA, America’s Physician Groups, Association of American Medical Colleges, Federation of American Hospitals, Health Care Transformation Task Force, Medical Group Management Association, National Association of ACOs, and Premier.
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Contact:
David Pittman
Senior Policy Advisor
202-640-2689 or [email protected]