The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an informalย request for information(RFI) in late December, with significant implications for Medicare and Medicaid.ย Comments are dueย January 25. Below is an alert from the Medicare Rights Center and their templateย to use to weigh in.ย It’s imperative that this Request For Information receive as many responses as possible. The more HHS feels the impact on their attempts to privatize Medicare, the better. Use the template as is, or, submit some of your own personal or client stories for greater impact emphasizing the need for personal assistance with the complexity and large number of choices beneficiaries deal. Read below to learn more details of whatโs in the RFI, and what you can do to respond today!ย Please share among your own networks too.
HHS RFI Targets Medicare, Medicaid
Theย ASPE RFIย was issued to gather information that would โlay the groundwork for future actionโ arising out of anย October 2017 Executive Orderย (EO). That EO directed HHS to produce a report identifying โthe extent to which existing State and Federal laws, regulations, guidance, requirements, and policiesโ limit choice and competition in the health care system.
While the EO largely focused on the private commercial insurance market, the RFI widens this scope dramatically by specifically focusing on โbarriers to choice and competitionโ within Medicare and Medicaid. This is a troubling shift that could put Medicare and Medicaidโas well as those who rely on these programsโat risk.
Act Now!
Comments are due THIS WEEK, but Medicare Rights has made it easy for you to respond to questions about Medicare.ย Hereโs what you can do to weigh in and raise awareness:
- Submit Comments:ย Use Medicare Rightsโย template commentsย to respond by theJanuary 25ย deadline. Just download ourย template, personalize the comments, and submit them via email toย CompetitionRFI@hhs.gov. More information on the submission process is availableย here
- Spread the Word:ย Amplify your voiceย and share this alert widely! Let your friends, colleagues, and networks know youโve taken action, and encourage them to do the same.
