Fact Based List:

American College of Physicians: Recommendations for Ensuring Medicare’s Solvency, Reducing Costs, and Maintaining Access to Affordable Care for Beneficiaries

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 04/20/2012 - 16:45


  1. It must lead paradigm shift in nation’s health care system by testing & accelerating adoption of new care models that improve population health, enhance patient experience, reduce per-beneficiary cost
  2. To improve the way health care is delivered and ensure the future of primary care, the College recommends that Medicare accelerate adoption of the patient centered medical home model model
  3. ACP does not support conversion of the existing Medicare defined benefits program to a premium support model. However, ACP could support pilot-testing of a defined benefit premium support option
  4. ACP supports policies to ensure that Medicare Advantage plans are funded at the level of the traditional Medicare program
  5. Medicare eligibility age should only be increased to correspond with the Social Security eligibility age if affordable, comprehensive insurance is made available to those made ineligible for Medicare
  6. ACP supports continuing to gradually increase Medicare premiums for wealthier beneficiaries as well as modest increases in the payroll tax to fund the Medicare program
  7. Congress should consider giving Medicare authority to redesign benefits, coverage and cost sharing to include consideration of the value of the care being provided
  8. ACP supports combining Medicare Parts A and B with a single deductible under specified circumstances
  9. Medigap plans – should only be altered in a manner that encourages use of high quality, evidence-based care and does not lead Medicare beneficiaries to reduce use of such care because of cost
  10. Medicare should provide for palliative and hospice services, including pain relief, patient and family counseling, and other psychosocial services for patients living with terminal illness
  11. The costs of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program should be reduced by the federal government acting as a prudent purchaser of prescription drugs
  12. Congress should amend the authority for IPAB in specified ways, including giving Congress the right to approve or disapprove the board’s recommendations by a simple majority


Source: American College of Physicians
Source URL: http://www.acponline.org/pressroom/reforming_medicare.htm?hp



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