The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) advocacy team monitors healthcare related legislation, rule changes, and legislative updates for Ohio’s family physicians.
To access the OAFP Bill Tracker, visit the OAFP Public Policy webpage and click on the Bill Tracker icon.
Read on for this week’s updates and contact Advocacy Coordinator Kaela Springhetti with questions or for ways to get involved.
February Issue of AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released its February issue of Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds, a monthly tip sheet to educate, engage, and update you on the latest policy issues affecting family physicians and their patients.
- AAFP Applauds Health Provisions in Minibus
- AAFP Urges Congress to Make Health Care More Affordable
- AAFP Comments on Proposed Medicare Advantage and Part D Changes
- Family Physicians: Discrimination Harms Mental and Physical Health
- New Research: Regular Access to Primary Care is Associated with Lower Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits in Adults and Children.
Prior Authorization is a Top Healthcare Burden, KFF Poll Finds
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
Prior authorization is the top challenge that Americans have when navigating the healthcare system, according to a new KFF poll.
About 32% of those polled said prior authorization requirements are a “major burden.”
That figure surpassed those who cited, as major burdens, understanding their bill or what they owe (23%), getting appointments when they need them (20%), or finding providers who accept their insurance (17%), according to KFF, a source for health policy research, polling, and news.
About 1 in 5 of all adults with insurance said that their mental or physical health, or finances, have been majorly impacted by denials, delays, or alterations in care caused by prior authorization requirements.
“The complexity of the health system drives patients crazy, can have real consequences, and disproportionately affects people who are sick,” KFF President and CEO Drew Altman said. “Prior authorization review is the poster child for that complexity.”
Read the full article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
More States Requiring Coverage of Non-Opioid Pain Medications
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
More states are requiring their Medicaid programs and health insurance companies to cover non-opioid pain medications as an alternative to opioids (Source: More States are Requiring Insurers to Cover Non-Opioid Pain Meds, Ohio Capital Journal, February 16).
At least eight states have enacted such laws: Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee. In states that are still considering legislation, the efforts have been bipartisan, pushed by lawmakers in Democratic-controlled states such as Colorado and New York and Republican-leaning states, including Kentucky and Missouri.
The issue has gained momentum in recent years, as leading medical associations such as the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine have urged physicians and other healthcare professionals not to prescribe opioids as the first-line treatment for pain.
Meanwhile, bipartisan legislation introduced in Congress last year aims to increase Medicaid Part D enrollees’ access to non-opioid pain medications. It’s been referred to a committee.
Federal Proposal Sees Catastrophic Coverage as Key to Lowering ACA Premium Costs
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
The Trump Administration has unveiled a sweeping set of proposed rules that would substantially change health plan offerings on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace next year (Source: Trump Team’s Planned ACA Rule Offers its Answer to Rising Premium Costs: Catastrophic Coverage, KFF Health News, February 13).
The aim of the regulatory proposals is to provide more choices and lower premiums. But it also proposes sharply raising some annual out-of-pocket costs — to more than $27,000 for one type of coverage — and could cause up to 2 million people to drop insurance, according to analysis included in the proposal. The plan also calls for a heavier focus on promoting catastrophic plans as a way to lower premiums.
After a comment period, the rule will be finalized this spring.