news

WASHINGTON—Margaret A. Murray, Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), issued the following statement on the introduction of H.R. 6742, The IDEAL Act, a bill introduced by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). The bill includes a pilot program to encourage the offering of and to assess the impact of Medicare Advantage SDOH-related supplement benefits for people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and enrolled in a Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) offered by a safety net health plan. The legislation also provides states and CMS with flexibility to address administrative misalignments between Medicare and Medicaid for all integrated D-SNPs.  

“We’re grateful to Representative Blumenauer for his leadership in working to fortify the evidence base for Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits that address social determinants of health. There are numerous examples pointing toward the promise of such benefits, such as general housing and food support. The IDEAL Act’s pilot program will provide the opportunity to evaluate the extent to which these benefits improve health and serve to contain health costs.   

“The IDEAL Act also provides CMS and states with long-overdue flexibility to address administrative alignments between Medicare and Medicaid for all integrated D-SNPs. These two programs were never designed with the explicit idea that they would be called upon to work together, and this bill will help states to work with CMS to implement better-integrated care programs. 

“This is a step in the right direction toward encouraging and studying the value of Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits that address dual eligibles’ SDOH needs, and toward further integrating Medicare and Medicaid. We applaud Representative Blumenauer’s work to introduce the IDEAL Act, and look forward to helping move this bill through both houses of Congress.”  

About ACAP:
ACAP represents 80 health plans, which collectively provide health coverage to more than 25 million people. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other publicly sponsored health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net. 

# # #