NAHU Supports Legislation To Improve Medicare

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) commends the Senate for unanimously passing the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic Care Act of 2017. S. 870 is an important step toward strengthening and improving healthcare for seniors living with chronic conditions.

“The goal of this bipartisan initiative is to improve the quality of medical care for seniors while spending less money to do so,” stated NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein. “The bill allows Medicare Advantage plans in every state to coordinate and tailor benefits to meet the individual’s healthcare needs. Currently, Medicare Advantage plans must offer the same benefit package to all enrollees.

“It’s encouraging to see the implementation of value-based design in Medicare Advantage. Allowing for new options and tools for Medicare beneficiaries and their doctors not only improves seniors’ healthcare but also creates financial incentives that will bring down costs and increase consumer choices.

“However, advancing a patient-centered health system requires a fundamental transformation in how we pay for and deliver care. Unfortunately, our current Medicare payment system is geared more toward paying for seniors to go to the hospital than it is to paying for the care management that can keep seniors well. This legislation is a step in the right direction by moving away from an antiquated payment system based primarily on the volume of healthcare services provided to a system based on the value of these services. 

“We look forward to working with members of Congress and other entities on this and other legislation that promotes patient-centered, value-based and high-quality healthcare for all Americans.”

NAHU’s Education Foundation partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to provide a comprehensive training program designed to educate NAHU members about value-based insurance design and other healthcare delivery models. For more information, please visit http://www.nahueducationfoundation.org/.

The National Association of Health Underwriters represents 100,000 professional health insurance agents and brokers who provide insurance for millions of Americans. NAHU is headquartered in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nahu.org.