Legislative

Overview
NAACOS aims to create and maintain the most beneficial legislative environment for ACOs. This is accomplished through constant communication, education, and advocacy with lawmakers and their staff. Congressional briefings, hearings, letters and in-person meetings are tools to share the positions of NAACOS and our members.

117^th Congress

• Lawmakers Send Letters Asking Biden Administration to Support ACOs and Direct Contracting
  
  
• NAACOS submits a Statement for the Record on a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on improving health equity for individuals with chronic conditions
  
  
• NAACOS and seven other health groups ask Congress to support alternative payment models as a means to help prolong the solvency of the Medicare trust fund
  
  
• NAACOS resource on Medicare payment updates under MACRA 
  
  
• NAACOS supports bill that revises MSSP assignment to enhance the role of NPPs

• NAACOS submits comments in response to the Congressional Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Caucus request for information (RFI) on challenges and opportunities to better address SDOH
  
  
• NAACOS submits comments in response to congressional request for information (RFI) on public option legislation
  
  
• NAACOS supports bill that removes cost-sharing obligations from Medicare Chronic Care Management codes
  
  
• NAACOS and 13 other leading organizations support the Value in Health Care Act of 2021
  
  
• Section-by-section summary and press release
  
  
• Independent analysis shows Value Act would save $280 million over 10 years
• NAACOS summary of the June 2021 MedPAC report 
  
  
• NAACOS and 12 others write Congress in support of the Accountable Care In Rural America Act (H.R. 3746)
  
  
• One-page summary of the “Rural Glitch” issue and press release on the letter
  
  
• NAACOS submits a Statement for the Record on a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the future of telehealth
  
  
• NAACOS submits a Statement for the Record on the nominations of Andrea Palm to be Deputy HHS Secretary and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to be CMS Administrator
  
  
• Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse touts ACOs during Secretary Becerra’s confirmation hearing
  
  
• ACOs receive praise during Senate confirmation hearing

116^th Congress

• Summary of 2020 Year-End Spending and COVID-19 Relief Bill 
  
  
• More than 500 ACOs, health systems, and medical practices ask Congress to freeze Advanced APM bonus thresholds at their current levels
  
  
• NAACOS and 18 other organizations ask Congress to freeze Advanced APM bonus thresholds at their current levels
  
  
• ACA Legal Challenge: What’s on the Docket for Medicare Value-Based Care 
  
  

• NAACOS presents the inaugural Champion of Value in Health Care Award to four House lawmakers

• Six House lawmakers write CMS asking for more flexibility for ACOs in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

• 29 House lawmakers urge action to modify the Qualifying APM Participant (QP) thresholds
  
  
• NAACOS endorses the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 (H.R. 7663)
  
  
• NAACOS and 12 other leading organizations support the Value in Health Care Act 
• Section-by-section summary and press release
  
  
• NAACOS summary of the June 2020 MedPAC report on ACOs 
  
  
• NAACOS supports expanding telehealth coverage after the COVID-19 public health emergency in two letters
• Telehealth Coalition Letter
• Post-COVID Telehealth Priorities
  
  
• Senators support NAACOS position on COVID-19 relief
  
  
• NAACOS and others ask Congress for assistance for providers serving Medicare Advantage beneficiaries
  
  NAACOS and nine others ask House and Senate leaders for relief from COVID-19 response
  
  
• NAACOS and 13 others write Congress to address telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency
  
  
• NAACOS joins letter supporting reintroduced bill that modernizes substance use disorder privacy law
  
  
• NAACOS supports passage of the Social Determinants Accelerator Act (H.R. 4004)
  
  

• NAACOS writes the House Energy and Commerce Committee on potential Cures 2.0 legislation

• NAACOS responds to House Ways and Means Committee Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force’s request for information
  
  

• NAACOS and 13 other groups write in support of the Accountable Care in Rural America Act (H.R. 5212)

• NAACOS and 14 other groups write in support of S. 2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act
  
  
• NAACOS supports bill (H.R. 3436) that removes cost-sharing obligations from Medicare Chronic Care Management codes
  
  
• NAACOS summary of the June 2019 MedPAC Chapter on ACOs
  
  
• NAACOS calls for MACRA changes in Statement for the Record to the Senate Finance Committee
  
  
• NAACOS advocates for one-sided ACOs to have access to telehealth in revised legislation
  
  
• NAACOS submits testimony to Appropriations Committee asking for greater transparency and stakeholder involvement in developing and updating CMMI Models
  
  
• NAACOS writes Senate HELP Committee on ways to lower health care costs
  
  
• NAACOS webinar discusses the November 2018 election results

115^th Congress

• NAACOS joins 200-plus stakeholders in asking Congress to align substance treatment privacy with HIPAA
• NAACOS resource on the final 2018 opioids law
  
  

• Part 2 Partnership asks Congress to address privacy protections in final opioids bill

• NAACOS Testifies on Capitol Hill
• Read the statement of Michael Robertson, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Covenant Health Partners on behalf of the National Association of ACOs to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
• Watch his testimony before the committee here (it begins at approximately 1:06).
• Read the press release that NAACOS issued following Dr. Robertson’s testimony.
  
  

• House Ways and Means Committee presses forward on regulatory relief work

• NAACOS responds to the Health Care Innovation Caucus’s request for information
  
  
• MedPAC releases its June 2018 Report to Congress
• NAACOS summary of the June 2018 MedPAC Chapter on ACOs
  
  
• NAACOS supports use of telehealth in opioid addiction treatment
  
  
• NAACOS writes house leaders in support of the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act

·         House Members Write CMS Supporting Additional Track 1 Agreement Period

·         NAACOS submits comments to Ways & Means on MACRA Implementation

·         NAACOS Statement on Regulatory Reform for House Ways & Means Committee

·         Part 2 Partnership sends letter to Senate Finance Committee supporting S. 1850

·         NAACOS endorses expansion of telehealth services

·         ACO Provisions in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018

·         NAACOS joins the Partnership to Amend 42 CFR Part 2 coalition

·         Joint press release for “The ACO Improvement Act of 2017”

·         Five leading healthcare groups endorse the ACO Improvement Act of 2017

o    NAACOS, AMGA, MGMA and Premier Letter

o    AMA Letter

·         Medical Expense Deduction Coalition Letter, November 2017

·         NAACOS signs on to letter supporting the Preventative Health Savings Act

·         NAACOS Statement for the Record to the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on Medicare Advantage Hearing on Promoting Integrated and Coordinate Care for Medicare Beneficiaries

·         Improving ACOs in 2017: NAACOS Advocacy Agenda

·         CONNECT for Care Act of 2017
 

114^th Congress

•  21st Century Cures Act Passes Congress
  
  
• ECHO Act Passes Both Chambers
  
  
• Section by Section summary of the 21st Century Cures Act
  Division A 21st Century Cures SBS
  Division C Increasing Choices, Access, and Quality in Healthcare
  Division D Child and Family Services and Support SBS
  
  
• A Summary of H.R.6101, "The ACO Improvement Act of 2016"
• NAACOS Press Release on The ACO Improvement Act of 2016 

·         NAACOS thanks Ways and Means leadership for support of access to mental and behavioral health data

·         NAACOS endorses S. 2873, the ECHO act.pdf advancing communication between primary care providers and specialists

·         NAACOS' Advanced Payment Model (APM) Talking Points

·         NAACOS submits comments on the Senate Finance Committee's Bipartisan Chronic Care Working Group Policy Options Document

·         NAACOS letter to the Senate Finance Committee on ACOs positively impacting chronic care management

·         Ways & Means members Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) submit letter to CMS in support of the MSSP program.