The National Coalition on Health Care joined the Healthcare Leadership Council and 80 other organizations on a letter urging House leadership to consider and pass S. 870, the CHRONIC Care Act. That legislation, aimed at improving the management of chronic disease along with expanding innovative care delivery models, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on September 26th of this year.
“Addressing rising costs of treating chronic disease is central to making our health system more affordable for all. This common-sense bill takes meaningful steps to strengthen chronic care in Medicare. It’s time Congress sent this bill to the President’s desk,” said John Rother, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care.
See the PDF including the list of co-signers here, or see the text of the letter below:
Dear Speaker Ryan and Minority Leader Pelosi:
The undersigned organizations are writing to you to express our support for S. 870, the “Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act.” We were proud to have been part of the Senate Finance Committee Chronic Care Working Group’s efforts to develop this legislation, and we look forward to working with the House of Representatives to advance the bill.
S. 870 represents an important step forward in ensuring that the two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries who have multiple chronic conditions are able to receive the quality care they need to live a healthy life. Currently, the treatment of chronic illness accounts for almost 93 percent of Medicare spending. The CHRONIC Care Act would lower costs by improving disease management, streamlining care coordination services, and expanding access to innovative models of care. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that the bill would reduce direct spending for Medicare and Medicaid by $217 million from 2018-2022.
S. 870 passed the Senate under a unanimous consent agreement. Additionally, the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee have passed parts of the legislation as separate bills. We urge the full House to quickly consider and pass the provisions of the CHRONIC Care Act so that beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions can get the care that they need to manage their health.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. We look forward to continuing to work with you.