In March 2024, the twelve FY24 appropriations bills were passed in two separate pieces of legislation. When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year comes to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include most program costs for Social Security and Medicare or financing the debt. The appropriations package was constrained by the agreement that former Speaker of…

C-TAC recently submitted a comment letter to CMS on the Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for CY 2025 for Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies. Here are C-TAC’s comments on pertinent measures in the proposed Advance Notice: Changes to Existing Star Ratings Measures for the 2025 Measurement Year and Beyond Cross-cutting: Gender-Affirming Quality…

Nothing gets done in Washington, right? Well…in a year when Congress had the fewest bills passed, ever, and polarization seemed at its highest, it was a breakthrough year for C-TAC’s policy advocacy. The public policy wins in this recap of 2023 will have an immediate impact for patients, caregivers, and their care teams in 2024. We couldn’t have done it…

Election years can sometimes lead Members of Congress to focus on winning votes at home and avoiding tough votes in the nation’s capital or delaying action until after the election what should be addressed today. Getting major policy changes through Congress can be challenging even in good times, but there may still be opportunities for small but important bipartisan victories…

The House and Senate are finally back in session. The priority issue for most in Congress is preventing a partial government shutdown. Immediate attention will be devoted to the proposed topline spending deal announced by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on January 7th, including a modest less than 1 percent cut from current non-defense funding….

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed AB 5225 into law on December 21, 2023, requiring the development of a palliative care services benefit aimed to improve the quality of life for Medicaid beneficiaries with serious illness and their caregivers. The benefit will give access to needed ongoing assistance by an interdisciplinary team, including management and support for pain and other…

Medicare Advantage is the growing public-private form of Medicare and a recent rule proposed changes to the important supplemental benefits for those with chronic illnesses. C-TAC reviewed those changes and submitted comments on them to CMS on the proposed 2025 Medicare Advantage changes. We also commented on the proposal to add an annual health equity analysis for utilization management policies,…

Heart failure is a pervasive and challenging condition affecting millions of people worldwide, with an estimate of 6.2 million people living with heart failure in the United States. While medical advancements have improved the management of this condition, there remains a critical need to enhance the quality of life for individuals living with heart failure.

C-TAC has focused on federal policy from its inception. We engage with decision-makers in Congress and in the Administration to improve care for people living with serious illness and their families and are making steady progress. Recently, C-TAC has also added a focus on state-based serious illness care efforts. We are working with partners at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and the National Academy for State Health Policy

At the September 12 Policy Member Meet-up, C-TAC’s policy team provided updates on our regulatory, Congressional, and state policy engagement. Torrie Fields provided updates on recent advances in state and private efforts to expand access to serious illness care. States are taking multiple routes including standalone palliative care benefits;

Legislative champions in C-TAC’s corner have introduced important pieces of legislation recently. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) leads the pack with three bills related to palliative care, hospice, and long-term care. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) reintroduced her successful bipartisan legislation known as PCHETA, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act. One of the most important aspects of these developments…

More payors and policymakers than ever before are working to implement policies and benefits to increase and sustain access to services that improve care for people with serious illness and their caregivers. At the state level, increased federal requirements and access to funding has accelerated adoption of benefits supporting people with serious illness, such as palliative care and caregiver services.