ACAP Statement on Medicare Advantage Hearing

Chairman Tiberi, Ranking Member Levin, Members of the Health Subcommittee:

Thank you for holding this important hearing on promoting integrated and coordinated care for Medicare beneficiaries. The Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) represents 60 safety net health plans serving more than 20 million Americans in 29 states. Of those, 25 health plans in 15 states participate as Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), 23 plans operate Managed Long-term Supports and Services (MLTSS) plans, and 14 plans operate Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs) in the Financial Alignment Demonstration and collectively enroll over 30 percent of all MMP enrollees.

ACAP is strongly supportive of promoting integrated and coordinated care models for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, also known as “dual eligibles.” The dual eligible population is particularly well served by participating in a system of care that addresses the health care needs of enrollees in an interdisciplinary manner. Integrated care poses the best opportunities to control health care costs, improve health outcomes, and get beneficiaries the services they need.

As Congress considers the D-SNP program, ACAP strongly supports a number of changes to this program. The most important issue is the need to create certainty that D-SNPs have a future and that states, beneficiaries, providers, and plans can count on their existence in the future. Since their creation in 2003, the D-SNP program has been subjected to numerous short-term authorizations that, we believe, have slowed state commitment to truly integrating D-SNPs into a broader strategy to address the health care needs of dual eligible beneficiaries. ACAP strongly supports permanent authorization of D-SNPs and urges Congress to do so as part of the discussions over Medicare extenders this year. We have attached a letter supported by six national organizations, including ACAP, representing businesses, unions, health care providers, health plans, and consumers urging Congress to permanently authorize the Medicare Advantage D-SNP program this year.

 

Full Letter Here>>>