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While roughly 83% of adults in the United States will visit a health care provider in the next year, an estimated
News
Affordable Care Act Update 6-5-14
July 15, 2014
Policy Update
New Health Insurance Enrollment Tool Available
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a new tool on healthcare.gov to help consumers who still need health insurance coverage determine whether they are eligible for special enrollment, Medicaid and/or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The tool is located at: https://www.healthcare.gov/screener/ and will be available in Spanish.
Federal Update
Senate to Vote on HHS Secretary Nominee/HHS Secretary Nominee Confirmed
The Senate is scheduled to hold a floor vote on Thursday to confirm Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s nomination as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Senate Finance Committee approved Burwell’s nomination last week with strong bipartisan support. Burwell currently serves as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
State Update
California Senate Passes Bill to Improve Drug Formulary Transparency
Lawmakers in California last week took an important step toward making drug formularies more transparent for consumers shopping for a health plan in the state’s individual and small group insurance market. The California Senate overwhelmingly passed SB 1052 with bipartisan support by a vote of 30-6. The bill would require insurance companies to make their plan formularies easy to find online, ensure that all drugs eligible for coverage -- including those administered in a provider’s office – are listed, display all formularies in a standard template to make coverage easier to compare between plans, and provide an out-of-pocket cost range for each drug to better inform consumers what they would be required to pay for the drug each month. The bill would also direct Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace, to develop a tool to allow consumers to search for plans that cover a specific medication. Additional details on the need for this legislation are outlined in an op-ed authored by ACS CAN California Legislative Director Alison Ramey. The bill now moves on to the California State Assembly for consideration.
Media Advocacy
ACS CAN Study on Prescription Drug Formularies Cited
CNBC.com recently cited an ACS CAN study of drug coverage in marketplace plans offered in five states and the District of Columbia. The study found that drug coverage is “fairly comprehensive across plans,” but that the lack of transparency makes it difficult for patients to determine which drugs are covered, and that cost-sharing requirements for patients vary widely. The article quoted Kirsten Sloan, ACS CAN’s Senior Director, Policy Analysis & Legislative Support and Laura Skopec, Senior Policy Analyst, who emphasized that because of ACA provisions prohibiting coverage denials to people with pre-existing conditions, capping the out-of-pocket costs a patient must pay, and requiring marketplace plans to cover essential health benefits, “cancer patients are in a much better position than they were originally.”
Doctor Shortages
Recent news coverage of primary care physician shortages of at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals resulting in long waits for medical care has sparked comparisons to potential doctor shortages nationwide. National Journal reports that the U.S. will be 91,500 physicians short of what it needs to treat patients by 2020, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. By 2025, it will be short 130,600 physicians.
As always, thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Carter Steger, Senior Director, State and Local Campaigns, at [email protected], (202) 661-5727, or Keysha Brooks-Coley, Director, Federal Relations, at [email protected], (202) 661-5720.