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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2018                                                                 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515; jvanness@communityplans.net

WASHINGTON—Margaret A. Murray, Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), today made the following statement on the Bipartisan Budget Act, which would fund the government for two years and contains a number of significant health care provisions:

“ACAP applauds the health care aspects of the Bipartisan Budget Act. This law addresses a number of health care items on the Federal to-do list that had run overdue. ACAP has long advocated for permanent authorization of the Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) program; that, along with an extra four years’ funding authorization for the Children’s Health Insurance program, are among its most notable features.

“Permanently reauthorizing the D-SNP program will bring health plans needed programmatic stability to help them better integrate care for seniors with low incomes—and the beneficiaries who are served by D-SNPs will benefit from knowing that their care won’t be disrupted. And families with low incomes will have peace of mind knowing that CHIP will be funded for the next ten years.”

“We are also very pleased that the Bipartisan Budget Act includes provisions that would require states to report on a core set of health care quality measures for children. We’ve long made the case that the best way to improve Medicaid and CHIP is to first determine what works and what doesn’t. Reporting on a common set of measures will provide policymakers and others insights they didn’t have before. ACAP had long advocated for provisions such as this and we’re delighted to see them here.

“While no bill is perfect, this law provides important protections and long-term stability for America’s health care safety net and people who rely on Medicaid, CHIP and Medicare. We applaud its enactment.”

About ACAP
ACAP represents 61 Safety Net Health Plans, which provide health coverage to more than 21 million people in 29 states. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.

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