[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":3775,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"If the Republican-controlled Congress and incoming Trump administration are successful in repealing the Affordable Care Act, it could affect more than the 20 million Americans who currently have health coverage under the existing law.

That\u2019s the contention of Micky Tripathi, president and CEO of the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, who is warily watching political developments in Washington as President Barack Obama leaves office.

In particular, Tripathi worries about the fact that the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) was established by section 3022 of the ACA as a key component of Obamacare\u2019s Medicare delivery system reform initiatives. The MSSP serves about 7.7 million beneficiaries across more than 430 Medicare ACOs.

\u201cOne of the things that people don\u2019t fully appreciate is that all of the ACOs, like the MSSP contracts and a whole bunch of others\u2014which account for something like 500 of them out in the market\u2014all of those are created under ACA authority,\u201d says Tripathi.

\u201cIf you literally repeal ACA without any carve-outs, all of those ACOs are gone because they are under the Obamacare umbrella,\u201d he warns. \u201cNo one seems to be talking about that.\u201d

The Senate and House last week took the first steps toward repealing Obamacare by passing budget resolutions in advance of President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration on January 20.

Also See<\/b>: GOP leaders say Obamacare repeal to advance despite concerns<\/a>

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Shared Savings Program ACOs are groups of doctors and other providers who voluntarily work together with Medicare to give high quality service to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.

\u201cI\u2019m not suggesting that doing away with ACOs is the intent of the new administration. It just might be that they haven\u2019t fully appreciated all of the unintended consequences that could come from repealing the ACA,\u201d adds Tripathi.

Speaking at last week\u2019s JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt charged that repealing the ACA with only the promise to produce a replacement plan later is irresponsible.

\u201cMillions of Americans and their families would be harmed by this scheme,\u201d said Slavitt. \u201cNot putting a replacement plan forward would create needless chaos for hospitals and insurance companies. They need to begin making decisions on their 2018 participation just a few months from now.\u201d

On the topic of ACOs, Slavitt said that providers want to \u201cexperience the joy of medicine again\u201d and \u201cto be able to make a living from listening to their patients, coordinating their care, improving their health, and get paid for what works.\u201d

\u201cWhether you call these ACOs or Medical Homes or Bundled payments frankly doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d he concluded. \u201cWhat matters is that we can develop these innovative practices locally, test them and spread them.\u201d

Slavitt suggested that the CMS Innovation Center, which was created by the ACA to test innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce program expenditures while preserving and enhancing the quality of care, would also fall victim to repealing Obamacare.

\u201cCMS has been the<\/i> driver of innovation in value-based care\u2014bar none. They\u2019re way out ahead of the private sector in terms of innovative payment models,\u201d comments Tripathi. \u201cIf you take that away and undercut those efforts, that will have a big impact on health IT because those organizations are using technology in ways that deliver value.\u201d

He points out that alternative payment models such as ACOs are designed to improve quality and health outcomes, while reducing the cost of care, by unlocking the value of healthcare data and that these organizations rely on a strong HIT infrastructure and the ability to exchange data to achieve these goals.","saveContent":"If the Republican-controlled Congress and incoming Trump administration are successful in repealing the Affordable Care Act, it could affect more than the 20 million Americans who currently have health coverage under the existing law.

That\u2019s the contention of Micky Tripathi, president and CEO of the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, who is warily watching political developments in Washington as President Barack Obama leaves office.

In particular, Tripathi worries about the fact that the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) was established by section 3022 of the ACA as a key component of Obamacare\u2019s Medicare delivery system reform initiatives. The MSSP serves about 7.7 million beneficiaries across more than 430 Medicare ACOs.

\u201cOne of the things that people don\u2019t fully appreciate is that all of the ACOs, like the MSSP contracts and a whole bunch of others\u2014which account for something like 500 of them out in the market\u2014all of those are created under ACA authority,\u201d says Tripathi.

\u201cIf you literally repeal ACA without any carve-outs, all of those ACOs are gone because they are under the Obamacare umbrella,\u201d he warns. \u201cNo one seems to be talking about that.\u201d

The Senate and House last week took the first steps toward repealing Obamacare by passing budget resolutions in advance of President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration on January 20.

Also See<\/b>: GOP leaders say Obamacare repeal to advance despite concerns<\/a>

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Shared Savings Program ACOs are groups of doctors and other providers who voluntarily work together with Medicare to give high quality service to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.

\u201cI\u2019m not suggesting that doing away with ACOs is the intent of the new administration. It just might be that they haven\u2019t fully appreciated all of the unintended consequences that could come from repealing the ACA,\u201d adds Tripathi.

Speaking at last week\u2019s JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt charged that repealing the ACA with only the promise to produce a replacement plan later is irresponsible.

\u201cMillions of Americans and their families would be harmed by this scheme,\u201d said Slavitt. \u201cNot putting a replacement plan forward would create needless chaos for hospitals and insurance companies. They need to begin making decisions on their 2018 participation just a few months from now.\u201d

On the topic of ACOs, Slavitt said that providers want to \u201cexperience the joy of medicine again\u201d and \u201cto be able to make a living from listening to their patients, coordinating their care, improving their health, and get paid for what works.\u201d

\u201cWhether you call these ACOs or Medical Homes or Bundled payments frankly doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d he concluded. \u201cWhat matters is that we can develop these innovative practices locally, test them and spread them.\u201d

Slavitt suggested that the CMS Innovation Center, which was created by the ACA to test innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce program expenditures while preserving and enhancing the quality of care, would also fall victim to repealing Obamacare.

\u201cCMS has been the<\/i> driver of innovation in value-based care\u2014bar none. They\u2019re way out ahead of the private sector in terms of innovative payment models,\u201d comments Tripathi. \u201cIf you take that away and undercut those efforts, that will have a big impact on health IT because those organizations are using technology in ways that deliver value.\u201d

He points out that alternative payment models such as ACOs are designed to improve quality and health outcomes, while reducing the cost of care, by unlocking the value of healthcare data and that these organizations rely on a strong HIT infrastructure and the ability to exchange data to achieve these goals.","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Repeal of Obamacare could cut accountable care organizations

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