New Analysis: Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Grew in 36 of 41 Categories for 20212/17/2021 HCAOA is a proud ally of the Better Medicare Alliance, which released new research last week showing that Medicare Advantage offerings for 2021 increased in 88% of supplemental benefit types - that's 36 out of 41 categories, which is an opportunity for home care to be available to more Medicare beneficiaries.
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HCAOA Associate Member AlayaCare is hosting a webinar next week to highlight the value of hospital to home programs and how technology supports this model. As hospital-at-home models become more popular and more beneficial to both patients and health care organizations, those that have recognized the perks of home-based care prior to the COVID-19 crisis may have the upper hand.
Total national healthcare spending in 2019 grew 4.6%, which was similar to the 4.7% growth in 2018 and the average annual growth since 2016 of 4.5%, according to a study conducted by the Office of the Actuary at CMS and published recently in the journal Health Affairs. This report includes health expenditure data though 2019 and therefore does not include any of the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on health care spending. HCAOA Executive Director Vicki Hoak recently submitted a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal in support of a recent article about home-based care, which was published this week. The article, “Nursing Homes Face Persistent Fall in Use” (12/22/20) outlined that when Medicaid rules were created in the 1960s, ‘rest homes’ were the only option for seniors and that the government must now listen to citizens who want to stay at home as they age. CMS Announces New Model for Medicaid MCOs Serving Dual Eligibles – Opportunity for Home Care!1/6/2021 The CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation announced a new model for Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to better serve enrollees who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid MCOs do not have an incentive to coordinate care in a way that reduces costs for dually eligible beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has outlined comprehensive steps to provide care to patients outside a traditional hospital setting amid COVID-19 hospitalizations across the country. These flexibilities include allowances for safe hospital care for eligible patients in their homes and updated staffing flexibility designed to allow ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) to provide greater inpatient care when needed. Building on CMS’s previous actions to expand the availability of telehealth across the nation, these actions are aimed at allowing health care services to be provided outside a hospital setting while maintaining capacity to continue critical non-COVID-19 care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the list of telehealth services that Medicare Fee-For-Service will pay for during the coronavirus public health emergency. Since the beginning of the pandemic, CMS has added more than 135 services to the Medicare telehealth services list – such as emergency department visits, initial inpatient and nursing facility visits, and discharge day management services.
Open enrollment for Medicare Advantage plans and Part D prescription coverage began last week on October 15 and ends on December 7. When it’s over, the plans will be in place for a full calendar year. Remind your clients to do their research and enroll now. Many states and local senior resources offer assistance, and there are free tools on the CMS website to help seniors compare plans. Last week, CMS released new data showing a 46% increase in the number of Medicare Advantage plans offering supplemental benefits such as home care – from 500 plans in 2020 to 730 in 2021. The most offered supplemental benefits include in-home supportive services, support for caregivers, home-based palliative care, adult day and therapeutic massage.
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