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PAN continues to be a leading voice for patient advocacy in Washington,
DC working in coalition on important issues such as Medicare drug
coverage and reimbursement.
Prescription Drug (Part D) Coverage PAN, along with our Medicare Access for Patients-Rx (MAPRx) coalition partners, sent the following letter (below) to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The letter is in regards to Medicare’s proposed plans for communicating with beneficiaries a comprehensive description of their Part D coverage and notice of any change to this coverage for the next benefit year.
MAPRx is a coalition of patient, family caregiver and health professional organizations committed to safeguarding the well-being of patients with chronic diseases and disabilities under Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage. MAPRx will continue to consult with CMS on the topic of how to best communicate drug coverage information to beneficiaries, particularly on behalf of America’s most vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries.
To view the letter please click here.
Medicare Therapy Caps
Issue Summary
Currently in law, there are financial restrictions, or caps, on Medicare therapy services it will cover. Medicare will cover the first $1,780 of outpatient physical therapy and speech language pathology services combined and an additional $1,780 for occupational therapy services, after which beneficiaries face the decision of forgoing care, paying out of pocket or traveling to an outpatient hospital for continued care if an exception is not granted.
In the past, Congress has recognized the potential harm the therapy caps may cause and has voted several times to keep the caps from going into effect. PAN supports the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (S. 450/HR 748) which provides a permanent solution by simply repealing the caps. Since people with Parkinson’s disease commonly have a medical need for both physical and speech language therapy, the Medicare therapy caps place an unnecessary burden on the Parkinson’s community.
Read the letter PAN, with 40 other consumer, patient, provider, and health care industry organizations, wrote in support of a permanent therapy cap repeal.
Lifespan Respite Care
The Lifespan Respite Care Act authorizes $289 million in competitive grant funding to states to train volunteers and provide other services to an estimated 50 million family caregivers nationwide who assist people with Parkinson’s and other diseases. This law was passed by the U.S. House and Senate and signed by President Bush in 1996.
The Lifespan Respite Care Act is the first ever federal initiative to provide respite care for all age groups -- making quality respite care more affordable and accessible to family caregivers of people with health conditions regardless of their age, disability, or family situation. The programs called for under this statute, if funded, will provide the relief necessary for caregivers to maintain their own health, happiness, and family stability --ultimately allowing them to provide better care.
Read the text of PAN’s letters to Chairman Harkin and Senator Specter requesting $10 million in funding for these much-needed programs.
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