Health care interests push back on MedPAC recommendations

The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, a trade group for skilled nursing facilities, has released a statement touting recent cuts to its payments and strongly opposing another 4 percent cut proposed by MedPAC in the annual report it released today.

“Considering the fact 40 states have cut or frozen state Medicaid SNF rates since 2009, today’s MedPAC recommendation, as it does annually, fails to properly evaluate overall Medicare-Medicaid operating margins ” the lowest of any provider group,” said Alan Rosenbloom, the group’s president.

The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare expressed support for MedPAC’s recommendation that Medicare crack down on the relatively small number of home health agencies with fraudulent and abusive billing practices.

But in a statement, the group objected to MedPAC’s recommendation of across-the-board cuts and a home health co-payment. “Both policies would have negative consequences and ultimately increase Medicare spending by driving patients into more costly, institutional settings,” according to the release. “Before Congress considers more cuts to this sector, it should focus on areas like program integrity reform where there are clear savings that do not place beneficiary access at risk.”