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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I stand in strong support of H.R. 2582, the Securing Seniors' Health Care Act of 2015.
When Medicare began implementing the STARS ratings measurement system, they did so using the typical Washington approach of one size fits all. The STARS program uses the same measures to evaluate plans with different benefit designs and different coverage mixes. Congress needs to work with stakeholders and Medicare to reform this system to make it work for all.
CMS should continue to study issues like the effect that socioeconomic conditions have on health care and the effect that coverage of duals has on various rating systems and thus properly serve their populations.
This legislation is common sense. Let's not restrict seniors from plans they have chosen and like just because they aren't performing well under CMS's poorly managed STARS standards.
Until we truly understand the effects of duals and low-income beneficiaries on the plan's STARS ratings, we shouldn't be terminating them. A 3-year delay will do just that: give CMS and Congress the time to address the STARS rating system and allow all seniors access to the plans they choose and that they like.
CMS has made some poor policy decisions in recent years through the regulatory process in Medicare Advantage and part D of the prescription drug plan, and this years's call letter and rate notice is no exception.
The changes to the risk adjustment system include masking coding intensity adjustments, while in press releases CMS touts not exceeding statutory levels of coding intensity adjustments.
In plain English, Medicare Advantage plans are managed care plans, and the changes in the recent regulations handcuff plans from properly managing some of our frailest seniors suffering from, for example, blood and kidney diseases.
This bill requires that CMS review the changes made in their most recent regulatory cycle and reverse those that negatively affect risk adjustments.
This bill has CMS reviewing the use of encounter date as well. CMS has told Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and MedPAC that the data is not ready yet to show us; yet it is being used for risk adjustment in Medicare Advantage? That doesn't make sense. We need to see a stronger commitment by CMS to be transparent about their policies and their data in Medicare Advantage.
The changes made this year to MA just don't make sense, and I look forward to working with all my colleagues to reverse some of these changes and make continued improvements to the system as a whole.
I want to thank Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Rangel, Mrs. Blackburn of Tennessee, Mr. Guthrie, and Mr. Loebsack for their hard work in getting this policy moving forward.
I want to, again, reiterate my thanks to Mrs. Black and Mr. Blumenauer on our committee for their leadership regarding these issues.
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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I agree with the gentleman from New York that this is a bill that brings, really, a team of Republicans and Democrats together with their best ideas on how we can help improve Medicare for our seniors.
This bill is titled ``Securing Seniors' Health Care Act.'' It is aptly titled.
I am hopeful that today is just one example of more common ground between Republicans and Democrats, not just on the Ways and Means Committee, but through the House as well. I urge strong support for passage of this bill.
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