Federal Watch

January 18th, 2013

AGS is tracking developments of interest to geriatrics health professionals in order to provide weekly updates for our readers via our List Serv, americangeriatrics.org, our Facebook page, and our Twitter feed. This week, we update you on the latest news from Capitol Hill, as discussions heat up around raising the Medicare eligibility age.  In addition, we remind our physician members of the Jan. 31 deadline to request exemption from the e-prescribing penalty.   Lastly, we ask that you please visit our Health in Aging Advocacy Center to urge your members of Congress to permanently replace the flawed Medicare physician payment formula and protect access to care for our nation's frail older adults. 

Business Roundtable Offers Medicare Plan to Increase Eligibility Age To 70
The Associated Press reports that an influential group of business CEOs is pushing a plan to slowly increase the retirement age to 70 for both Social Security and Medicare and to partially privatize the health insurance program for older Americans.  The plan would protect those 55 and older from cuts but younger workers would face significant changes. The plan would result in smaller annual benefit increases for all Social Security recipients. Initial benefits for wealthy retirees would also be smaller.  Medicare recipients would be able to enroll in the traditional program or in private plans that could adjust premiums based on age and health status.  AARP Head, Barry Rand warned that, “Raising the Medicare age would be pure folly and very dangerous.” Rand’s remarks accompanied a series of new AARP research papers on the middle class and retirement security. They described the Affordable Care Act as a critical pillar of security for the hurting middle class — and noted that steep drug costs, high-deductible insurance policies, and the unresolved burden of long term care remain threats.  For a roundup of what various media outlets are reporting, please click here. 

Deadline to Request Exemption from ePrescribing Penalty is Jan. 31
Physicians who were unable to file for a Medicare ePrescribing hardship exemption by the original deadline have until Jan. 31, 2013 to avoid the 1.5 percent payment penalty in 2013.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has re-opened the Communications Support Web page to allow physicians who missed the June 30, 2012 deadline to file for an exemption.  Physicians may request a waiver of the 2013 penalty under any of the following categories: 

• The physician is unable to ePrescribe as a result of local, state or federal law or regulation.
• The physician wrote fewer than 100 prescriptions during the period of Jan. 1–June 30, 2012.
• The physician practices in a rural area that doesn't have sufficient high-speed Internet access.
• The physician practices in an area that doesn't have enough pharmacies that can do ePrescribing. 

CMS also added two hardship categories for those participating in Medicare’s electronic health record meaningful use program. Physicians do not need to apply for an exemption related to these meaningful use hardship categories; CMS will automatically determine whether physicians meet those requirements. 

Visit the CMS ePrescribing Web page to learn more. 

How You Can Help  

Repeal of the SGR and comprehensive Medicare payment and delivery reform.  AGS launched a public policy advocacy campaign asking members of Congress to fix the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Formula that continues to mandate cuts in Medicare payments year after year.  Recently, Congress reached an agreement to postpone the impending 27% payment through the end of 2013. Although the recent deal provides a temporary patch to these cuts, AGS is deeply disappointed that lawmakers have missed an opportunity to permanently replace the flawed Medicare physician payment formula and protect access to care for our nation's frail older adults.  We encourage you to contact your members of Congress and urge them to call for both the repeal of the SGR and comprehensive Medicare payment and delivery reform.  

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Susie Sherman, Senior Coordinator of Public Affairs & Advocacy, ssherman@americangeriatrics.org. 

Modified On: January 18th, 2013