Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Advisory Commission Deems Payments To Ambulatory Surgical Centers As Already High Enough
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is expected to vote against a pay increase for ambulatory surgical centers next month because they don't provide cost data. Medicare payments to ambulatory surgical centers are probably high enough, MedPAC's staff said at a meeting on Thursday. They found that beneficiaries have reliable access to care and that quality is improving. In addition, ambulatory surgical centers have plenty of access to capital and have experienced strong growth in Medicare revenue—it grew 7.4% from 2017 to 2018. (Brady, 12/5)
Kaiser Health News: Website Errors Raise Calls For Medicare To Be Flexible With Seniors’ Enrollment
Saturday is the deadline for most people with Medicare coverage to sign up for private drug and medical plans for next year. But members of Congress, health care advocates and insurance agents worry that enrollment decisions based on bad information from the government’s revamped, error-prone Plan Finder website will bring unwelcome surprises. Beneficiaries could be stuck in plans that cost too much and don’t meet their medical needs — with no way out until 2021. (Jaffe, 12/6)
Open enrollment ends Saturday, Dec. 7, for Snohomish County’s more than 70,000 Medicare beneficiaries. They have until then to fill out their paperwork. The process can easily get confusing. Brisa Guajardo with Community Health Plan of Washington has answers to frequently asked questions this open enrollment season. (12/5)
