Federal Policy
As the largest, single US healthcare payer, the government plays a dominant role in shaping the healthcare marketplace. Our experts track, interpret, and model federal policies that affect insurance coverage, access, and consumer choice so you can see around the bend.
Featured Content
MACRA and the Promise of Better Patient/Family Engagement in Post-SGR World
The story of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) actually begins in the previous millennium. In 1997, when the Congress passed the Balanced Budget Act, it ushered in the era of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. In theory, the SGR payment adjustment would raise or lower physician reimbursement each year based on spending relative to the target SGR. The caveat, however, was that Congress had the authority to suspend or adjust this benchmark, a "patch" that they regularly deployed through a "doc fix" for nearly two decades.
Business Education for Healthcare Innovation
The healthcare delivery system is one of the most complex businesses in the country.
Medicare Drug Plans Favor Generic Opioids that Lack Abuse Deterrent Properties
New research from Avalere finds that despite the innovation of abuse-deterrent properties and labeling for branded opioids, Medicare Part D plan coverage for these products is declining rapidly.
An Analysis of the Impact of Breakthrough Therapies on Government Spending
To evaluate public program spending on new medications in the drug development pipeline, Avalere projected the fiscal impact of 10 FDA breakthrough therapies to Medicare, Medicaid, and the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Two Seasoned Healthcare Professionals Join Avalere
Lisa Latts, MD, and Rick Smith join Avalere's team.
Avalere Health Names Lindy Hinman its New Senior Vice President of Health Plans and Managed Care
Avalere Health announced today that Lindy Hinman will be re-joining the company as senior vice president, leading its Health Plans and Managed Care Practice.
Podcast: The Emerging Initiative of 21st Century Cures
Even during these gridlocked times in Congress, certain healthcare initiatives are getting through the cracks; one of these such initiatives is 21st Century Cures.
HHS Report Finds Carrier Participation in Exchanges Will Grow 25 Percent
On September 23, HHS released a new report that finds the number of issuers participating in the 2015 exchange market will grow by 25 percent when compared to 2014.
Podcast: What’s to Come in MolDx?
Meet Kathy Hughes who leads our Molecular Diagnostics team and has successfully advised device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies on optimal market access strategies for over a decade. Kathy addresses key evidentiary developments in the diagnostics space, and what she sees as the future of this evolving field.
CMS Appoints Lakshman Ramamurthy as Industry Representative to MEDCAC
Lakshman Ramamurthy, PhD, director of FDA & Regulatory Policy at Avalere Health, has been appointed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to serve as an industry representative to the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC).
MolDX May Be the Norm, but Is It the Future?
With over 16,000 genetic tests already on the market and thousands more in development, stakeholders cannot ignore the rapidly evolving field of personalized medicine.
Supreme Court Hobby Lobby Decision Limits Contraception Coverage Mandate
In a 5-4 ruling on June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a majority opinion on Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., holding that the contraceptive mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) as applied to closely held, for-profit corporations.
CMS Proposes to Cover TMVR under CED
On May 14, CMS released a proposed national coverage determination (NCD) for Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TMVR), and proposed to cover TMVR under its Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) program.
Downward Pressure on Medicare Advantage Payment Continues in Final Rate Notice
On April 7, CMS finalized their Calendar Year (CY) 2015 capitation rates, methodological changes to rates and risk models, and other payment and program policies for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plans.
Congress Proposes Bill to Expand New Technology Add-On Payments for Antibiotics under Medicare
In the July/August 2013 RPM Report, I co-wrote an article with Avalere's Scott Gottlieb and Lauren Barnes discussing the potential to use the new technology add-on payments (NTAPs), a novel pathway created by Congress in 2001, as a foundation for new policies that support innovation and address public health goals.
Congress Passes Drug Quality and Security Act; Includes Both Compounding and Track & Trace Provisions
On Nov. 18, the Senate passed the Drug Quality and Security Act, roughly two months after it passed the House in September, seeking to clarify laws related to human drug compounding and to strengthen the prescription drug supply chain by creating a national system.
Infographic: A View of Broad-Based Efforts to Engage Patients
As regulators struggle to find answers to differing needs across the healthcare sector, patients are becoming a more integral part in shaping policy.
Podcast: Understanding New Approaches to Medicaid Expansion
In this podcast, Matt Eyles, Executive Vice President of Health Plans and Providers, gives a short preview of his upcoming MHPA presentation, Medicaid Premium Assistance Programs: Opportunities and Challenges for States and Plans.