|
Cassidy Reintroduces Medicaid Accountability and Care (MAC) Act WASHINGTON—Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) reintroduced the Medicaid Accountability and Care (MAC) Act of 2017. The MAC Act is designed to improve Medicaid financing through controlled spending, value-based incentives, and fraud reduction. “As a doctor, treating patients in a public hospital for the uninsured for 25 years, I’ve seen that Medicaid offers the illusion of coverage without the power of access,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Modernizing how Medicaid is financed can incentivize more efficient, effective and patient-centered care. The MAC Act does this.”
The current Medicaid system is costly and does not guarantee access to care or improved health outcomes. In addition, there are huge payment disparities among states.
The MAC Act would establish a Federal base payment for each Medicaid beneficiary, and that payment would be adjusted for factors that would affect the cost of care. It would reimburse states with a per beneficiary payment for each of the four major Medicaid beneficiary groups: aged, blind and disabled, children, and adults. These changes would reduce disparities in state payments.
The Proposal would allow cost-sharing with fewer restrictions as it exists under current law, in order to promote greater value and combat over-utilization. States would be given significant latitude in developing enforcement mechanisms.
To read the full MAC Act legislative text, click here.
In January 2017, Dr. Cassidy spoke on the house floor on the importance of reforming Medicaid financing. Watch here.
Dr. Cassidy originally introduced the MAC Act of 2013 in the 113th Congress.
The principles of this Medicaid reform bill were also included in the World’s Greatest Health Care Plan Act of 2016. Dr. Cassidy introduced this bill in the Senate during the 114th Congress. Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX) introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives.
Read more: Cassidy Medicaid proposal is winning more GOP support. |
|
### |