Tag Archive for: CMS
Coronavirus and Cancer Resources for Survivors
Cancer survivors have expressed concerns and questions about COVID-19, the coronavirus, and how they may be at higher risk due to their cancer history. Here are some resources about COVID-19 generally, and its impact for cancer survivors specifically. NCCS is seeking answers from public health experts on the coronavirus and its impact on cancer patients and survivors. Please leave a comment [...]
NCCS Letter to CMS Highlights Concerns About Proposed Medicare Part B Reforms
On December 31st, NCCS submitted our final comment letter of the year to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the advance notice of proposed rulemaking for the Medicare Part B drug program.
In the letter, we outlined concerns that this proposal could have on Medicare beneficiaries such as impacts on patient access to innovative therapies, as well as concerns regarding the enormous scope of the test. NCCS suggested [...]
NCCS “Not Persuaded” Drug Pricing in DTC Ads Will Improve Doctor-Patient Communication
Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would require information about drug costs be included in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements of prescription drugs and biological products. NCCS issued a statement regarding the proposal, saying, “While we understand [...]
NCCS Health Care Roundup: Gov’t Shutdown Threat; NCCS Webinar; Analysis of 8 Democratic Universal Health Care Plans; More
After days of tense negotiations, the House and Senate left town Thursday with no plan to avoid a partial government shutdown. The House will return December 19, leaving only 72 hours for both parties to reach an agreement before a shutdown goes into effect at midnight on December 21. Most of the tension surrounding the potential shutdown surrounds funding for President Trump’s border wall. This week, NCCS hosted a post-election webinar [...]
Health Care Roundup: NCCS Meets with Senate Offices Re CMS Waivers; Poor Hospital Quality; Married vs. Single May Impact Cancer Treatment; More
NCCS Meets with Senate Offices to Share Serious Concerns Regarding New CMS Waiver Guidance — This week, NCCS and other organizations in the Cancer Leadership Council participated in meetings with Senate offices to discuss the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent waiver guidance. This guidance would permit states to pursue waivers that would undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its patient protections. [...]
Health Care Roundup: CMS Issues New Waiver Options to States to Undermine ACA; Open Enrollment Numbers Still Lag; Role of AI in Health Care; More
CMS Issues New Waiver Options to Undermine the Affordable Care Act — This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released four new waiver concepts that would allow states to pursue alternatives to the ACA. This announcement follows recent CMS guidance that outlined broad authority to the states to design their health care systems through a waiver of key ACA requirements and provides states with more specific [...]
NCCS Strongly Objects to New CMS Waiver Options That Seek to Further Undermine the ACA
NCCS issued the following statement regarding today’s announcement by the Trump administration outlining options states can pursue to circumvent the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Today’s announcement of these policy options follows previous Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance that outlined broad authority to the states to design their health care systems through a “waiver” of key ACA requirements and provides states [...]
NCCS Expresses Reservations Regarding Effectiveness and Impact of New CMS Drug Pricing Proposal
A focus of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) since it was founded over thirty years ago continues to be empowering patients to make informed decisions, and this includes transparency about the cost of health care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed that list prices be included in direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertisements of drugs that are reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid. [...]
Health Care Roundup: Patient Orgs Push Back on ‘Junk Insurance’; Rx ‘Gag Clause’ Bans; What Survivors Wish Others Understand; ACA Premiums; More
NCCS & Patient Orgs Push Back on Short-term Plans — Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would allow insurers to offer expanded short-term, limited duration plans, known as “junk insurance.” This action led NCCS to join several other national organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief in support of a lawsuit that challenges the regulation authorizing short-term health insurance plans. The amicus brief [...]
Health Care Roundup: Medicare ‘Step Therapy’ Concerns; Alternative Cancer Treatment Risks; Immunotherapy Scientists Win Nobel Prize; More
HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHT – NCCS Submits Concerns to HHS Regarding New “Step Therapy” Plan – NCCS joined with other cancer organizations of the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the new plan announced on August 7 that gives Medicare Advantage plans the option of applying step therapy for [...]
NCCS Joins with Cancer Leadership Council to Outline Concerns Regarding New “Step Therapy” Plan
NCCS joined with other cancer organizations of the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the new plan announced on August 7 that gives Medicare Advantage plans the option of applying step therapy for physician-administered and other Part B drugs. The letter outlines several concerns regarding the application of step therapy [...]