Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 39 / Friday, February 27, 2015 / Notices 10691 

Panel beginning September 30, 2014. As 

a result of that notice, we are 

announcing four new members to the 

Panel. The Panel currently consists of 

11 members. The four new Panel 

members appointments are for four-year 

terms beginning on January 14, 2015. 

New Appointments to the Panel 

The four new members of the Panel 

with terms beginning on January 14, 

2015 and continuing through January 

31, 2019 are as follows: 

• Dawn L. Francis, M.D. 

• Ruth Lande 

• Michael K. Schroyer 

• Norman B. Thomson III, M.D. 

III. Collection of Information 

Requirements 

This document does not impose 

information collection requirements, 

that is, reporting, recordkeeping or 

third-party disclosure requirements. 

Consequently, there is no need for 

review by the Office of Management and 

Budget under the authority of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 35). 

Dated: February 18, 2015. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Administrator, Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2015–04175 Filed 2–26–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1465–N] 

Medicare Program; Public Meetings in 

Calendar Year 2015 for All New Public 

Requests for Revisions to the 

Healthcare Common Procedure Coding 

System (HCPCS) Coding and Payment 

Determinations 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

dates, time, and location of the 

Healthcare Common Procedure Coding 

System (HCPCS) public meetings to be 

held in calendar year 2015 to discuss 

our preliminary coding and payment 

determinations for all new public 

requests for revisions to the HCPCS. 

These meetings provide a forum for 

interested parties to make oral 

presentations or to submit written 

comments in response to preliminary 

coding and payment determinations. 

The discussion will be focused on 

responses to our specific preliminary 

recommendations and will include all 

items on the public meeting agenda. 

(Please note that two of CMS’ 2015 

HCPCS public meetings have a late 

starting time.) 

DATES: Meeting Dates: The following are 

the 2015 HCPCS public meeting dates: 

1. Thursday, May 7, 2015, 12 p.m. 

(noon) to 5 p.m. eastern daylight time 

(e.d.t.) (Drugs/Biologicals/

Radiopharmaceuticals/Radiologic 

Imaging Agents). 

2. Friday, May 8, 2015, 9 a.m. to 5 

p.m. eastern daylight time (e.d.t.) 

(Drugs/Biologicals/

Radiopharmaceuticals/Radiologic 

Imaging Agents). 

3. Thursday, May 21, 2015, 10 a.m.. 

to 5 p.m. eastern daylight time (e.d.t.) 

(Supplies and Other). 

4. Friday, May 22, 2015, 9 a.m. to 5 

p.m. eastern daylight time (e.d.t.) 

(Supplies and Other). 

5. Wednesday, May 27, 2015, 9 a.m. 

to 5 p.m. e.d.t. Durable Medical 

Equipment (DME) and Accessories; and 

Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P). 

Deadlines for Primary Speaker 

Registration and Presentation Materials: 

The deadline for registering to be a 

primary speaker and submitting 

materials and writings that will be used 

in support of an oral presentation are as 

follows: 

• April 22, 2015 for the May 7, 2015 

and May 8, 2015 public meetings. 

• May 7, 2015 for the May 21, 2015 

and May 22, 2015 public meetings. 

• May 13, 2015 for the May 27, 2015 

public meeting. 

Registration Deadline for Attendees 

That are Foreign Nationals: Attendees 

that are foreign nationals (as described 

in section IV. of this notice) are required 

to identify themselves as such, and 

provide the necessary information for 

security clearance (as described in 

section IV. of this notice) to the public 

meeting coordinator at least 12 business 

days in advance of the date of the public 

meeting the individual plans to attend. 

Therefore, the registration deadlines for 

attendees that are foreign nationals are 

as follows: 

• April 20, 2015 for the May 7, 2015 

and May 8, 2015 public meetings. 

• May 5, 2015 for the May 21, 2015 

and May 22, 2015 public meetings. 

• May 11, 2015 for the May 27, 2015 

public meeting. 

Registration Deadlines for all Other 

Attendees: All individuals who are not 

foreign nationals who plan to enter the 

building to attend the public meeting 

must register for each date that they 

plan on attending. The registration 

deadlines are different for each meeting. 

Registration deadlines are as follows: 

• April 30, 2015 for the May 7, 2015 

and May 8, 2015 public meetings. 

• May 14, 2015 for the May 21, 2015 

and May 22, 2015 public meeting dates. 

• May 20, 2015 for the May 27, 2015 

public meeting date. 

Deadlines for Requesting Special 

Accommodations: Individuals who plan 

to attend the public meetings and 

require sign-language interpretation or 

other special assistance must request 

these services by the following 

deadlines: 

• April 23, 2015 for the May 7, 2015 

and May 8, 2015 public meetings. 

• May 7, 2015 for the May 21, 2015 

and May 22, 2015 public meetings. 

• May 13, 2015 for the May 27, 2015 

public meeting. 

Deadline for Submission of Written 

Comments: Written comments and other 

documentation in response to a 

preliminary coding or payment 

determination that are received by no 

later than the date of the public meeting 

at which the code request is scheduled 

for discussion, will be considered in 

formulating a final coding decision. 

ADDRESSES: 

Meeting Location: The public 

meetings will be held in the main 

auditorium of the central building of the 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 

Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

Submission of Written Comments: 

Written comments may either be 

emailed to HCPCS@cms.hhs.gov or sent 

via regular mail to Jennifer Carver, 

HCPCS Public Meeting Coordinator, 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail 

Stop C5–08–27, Baltimore, MD 21244– 

1850. 

Registration and Special 

Accommodations: Individuals wishing 

to participate or who need special 

accommodations or both must register 

by completing the on-line registration 

located at www.cms.hhs.gov/

medhcpcsgeninfo or by contacting 

Jennifer Carver at (410) 786–6610 or 

Jennifer.Carver@cms.hhs.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Carver at (410)786–6610 or 

Jennifer.Carver@cms.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

On December 21, 2000, the Congress 

passed the Medicare, Medicaid, and 

SCHIP Benefits Improvement and 

Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) (Pub. L. 

106–554). Section 531(b) of BIPA 

mandated that we establish procedures 

that permit public consultation for 

coding and payment determinations for 

new durable medical equipment (DME) 

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10692 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 39 / Friday, February 27, 2015 / Notices 

under Medicare Part B of title XVIII of 

the Social Security Act (the Act). The 

procedures and public meetings 

announced in this notice for new DME 

are in response to the mandate of 

section 531(b) of BIPA. 

In the November 23, 2001 Federal 

Register (66 FR 58743), we published a 

notice providing information regarding 

the establishment of the public meeting 

process for DME. It is our intent to 

distribute any materials submitted to 

CMS to the Healthcare Common 

Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) 

workgroup members for their 

consideration. CMS and the HCPCS 

workgroup members require sufficient 

preparation time to review all relevant 

materials. Therefore, we are 

implementing a 10-page submission 

limit and firm deadlines for receipt of 

any presentation materials a meeting 

speaker wishes us to consider. For this 

reason, our HCPCS Public Meeting 

Coordinator will only accept and review 

presentation materials received by the 

deadline for each public meeting, as 

specified in the DATES section of this 

notice. 

The public meeting process provides 

an opportunity for the public to become 

aware of coding changes under 

consideration, as well as an opportunity 

for CMS to gather public input. 

II. Meeting Registration 

A. Required Information for Registration 

The following information must be 

provided when registering: 

• Name. 

• Company name and address. 

• Direct-dial telephone and fax 

numbers. 

• Email address. 

• Special needs information. 

A CMS staff member will confirm 

your registration by email. 

B. Registration Process 

1. Primary Speakers 

Individuals must also indicate 

whether they are the ‘‘primary speaker’’ 

for an agenda item. Primary speakers 

must be designated by the entity that 

submitted the HCPCS coding request. 

When registering, primary speakers 

must provide a brief written statement 

regarding the nature of the information 

they intend to provide, and advise the 

HCPCS Public Meeting Coordinator 

regarding needs for audio/visual 

support. To avoid disruption of the 

meeting and ensure compatibility with 

our systems, tapes and disk files are 

tested and arranged in speaker sequence 

well in advance of the meeting. We will 

accept tapes and disk files that are 

received by the deadline for 

submissions for each public meeting as 

specified in the DATES section of this 

notice. 

Please note CMS’ page limit for 

primary speaker presentation materials. 

The sum of all presentation materials 

and additional supporting 

documentation may not exceed 10 

pages (each side of a page counts as 1 

page). An exception will be made to the 

10-page limit only for relevant studies 

newly published between the 

application deadline and the public 

meeting date, in which case, we would 

like a copy of the complete publication 

as soon as possible. This exception 

applies only to the page limit and not 

the submission deadline. 

The materials may be emailed or 

delivered by regular mail to the HCPCS 

Public Meeting Coordinator as specified 

in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

The materials must be emailed or 

postmarked no later than the deadline 

specified in the DATES section of this 

notice. Individuals will need to provide 

35 copies if materials are delivered by 

mail. 

2. ‘‘5-Minute Speakers’’ 

To afford the same opportunity to all 

attendees, 5-minute speakers are not 

required to register as primary speakers. 

However, 5-minute speakers must still 

register as attendees by the deadline set 

forth under ‘‘Registration Deadlines for 

all Other Attendees’’ in the DATES

section of this notice. Attendees can 

sign up only on the day of the meeting 

to do a 5-minute presentation. 

Individuals must provide their name, 

company name and address, contact 

information as specified on the sign-up 

sheet, and identify the specific agenda 

item that they will address. 

C. Additional Meeting/Registration 

Information 

Please note that two of CMS’ 2015 

HCPCS public meetings have a late 

starting time as noted in the DATES

section of this notice. Also, we were 

able this year to combine the Orthotics/ 

Prosthetics and DME meeting into one 

public meeting date as noted in the 

DATES section of this notice. 

The product category reported in the 

HCPCS code application by the 

applicant may not be the same as that 

assigned by us. Prior to registering to 

attend a public meeting, all participants 

are advised to review the public meeting 

agendas at www.cms.hhs.gov/

medhcpcsgeninfo which identify our 

category determinations, and the dates 

each item will be discussed. Draft 

agendas, including a summary of each 

request and our preliminary decision 

will be posted on our HCPCS Web site 

at www.cms.hhs.gov/medhcpcsgeninfo 

at least 4 weeks before each meeting. 

Additional details regarding the 

public meeting process for all new 

public requests for revisions to the 

HCPCS, along with information on how 

to register and guidelines for an 

effective presentation, will be posted at 

least 4 weeks before the first meeting 

date on the official HCPCS Web site at 

www.cms.hhs.gov/medhcpcsgeninfo. 

The document titled ‘‘Guidelines for 

Participation in Public Meetings for All 

New Public Requests for Revisions to 

the Healthcare Common Procedure 

Coding System (HCPCS)’’ will be made 

available on the HCPCS Web site at least 

4 weeks before the first public meeting 

in 2015 for all new public requests for 

revisions to the HCPCS. Individuals 

who intend to provide a presentation at 

a public meeting need to familiarize 

themselves with the HCPCS Web site 

and the valuable information it provides 

to prospective registrants. The HCPCS 

Web site also contains a document titled 

‘‘Healthcare Common Procedure Coding 

System (HCPCS) Level II Coding 

Procedures,’’ which is a description of 

the HCPCS coding process, including a 

detailed explanation of the procedures 

used to make coding determinations for 

all the products, supplies, and services 

that are coded in the HCPCS. 

The HCPCS Web site also contains a 

document titled ‘‘HCPCS Decision Tree 

& Definitions’’ which illustrates, in flow 

diagram format, HCPCS coding 

standards as described in our Coding 

Procedures document. 

A summary of each public meeting 

will be posted on the HCPCS Web site 

by the end of August 2015. 

III. Presentations and Comment Format 

We can only estimate the amount of 

meeting time that will be needed since 

it is difficult to anticipate the total 

number of speakers that will register for 

each meeting. Meeting participants 

should arrive early to allow time to clear 

security and sign-in. Each meeting is 

expected to begin promptly as 

scheduled. Meetings may end earlier 

than the stated ending time. 

A. Oral Presentation Procedures 

All primary speakers must register as 

provided under the section titled 

‘‘Meeting Registration.’’ Materials and 

writings that will be used in support of 

an oral presentation should be 

submitted to the HCPCS Public Meeting 

Coordinator. 

The materials may be emailed or 

delivered by regular mail to the HCPCS 

Public Meeting Coordinator as specified 

in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

The materials must be emailed or 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 39 / Friday, February 27, 2015 / Notices 10693 

postmarked no later than the deadline 

specified in the DATES section of this 

notice. Individuals will need to include 

35 copies if materials are delivered by 

mail. 

B. Primary Speaker Presentations 

The individual or entity requesting 

revisions to the HCPCS coding system 

for a particular agenda item may 

designate one ‘‘primary speaker’’ to 

make a presentation for a maximum of 

15 minutes. Fifteen minutes is the total 

time interval for the presentation, and 

the presentation must incorporate any 

demonstration, set-up, and distribution 

of material. In establishing the public 

meeting agenda, we may group 

multiple, related requests under the 

same agenda item. In that case, we will 

decide whether additional time will be 

allotted, and may opt to increase the 

amount of time allotted to the speaker 

by increments of less than 15 minutes. 

Individuals designated to be the 

primary speaker must register to attend 

the meeting using the registration 

procedures described under the 

‘‘Meeting Registration’’ section of this 

notice and contact one of the HCPCS 

Public Meeting Coordinators, specified 

in the ADDRESSES section. Primary 

speakers must also separately register as 

primary speakers by the date specified 

in the DATES section of this notice. 

C. ‘‘5-Minute’’ Speaker Presentations 

Meeting attendees can sign up at the 

meeting, on a first-come, first-served 

basis, to make presentations for up to 5 

minutes on individual agenda items. 

Based on the number of items on the 

agenda and the progress of the meeting, 

a determination will be made at the 

meeting by the meeting coordinator and 

the meeting moderator regarding how 

many ‘‘5-minute speakers’’ can be 

accommodated and/or whether the 5- 

minute time allocation would be 

reduced, to accommodate the number of 

speakers. 

D. Speaker Declaration 

On the day of the meeting, before the 

end of the meeting, all primary speakers 

and 5-minute speakers must provide a 

brief written summary of their 

comments and conclusions to the 

HCPCS Public Meeting Coordinator. 

Every primary speaker and 5-minute 

speaker must declare at the beginning of 

their presentation at the meeting, as 

well as in their written summary, 

whether they have any financial 

involvement with the manufacturers or 

competitors of any items being 

discussed; this includes any payment, 

salary, remuneration, or benefit 

provided to that speaker by the 

manufacturer or the manufacturer’s 

representatives. 

E. Written Comments From Meeting 

Attendees 

Written comments will be accepted 

from the general public and meeting 

registrants anytime up to the date of the 

public meeting at which a request is 

discussed. Comments must be sent to 

the address listed in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice. 

Meeting attendees may also submit 

their written comments at the meeting. 

Due to the close timing of the public 

meetings, subsequent workgroup 

reconsiderations, and final decisions, 

we are able to consider only those 

comments received in writing by the 

close of the public meeting at which the 

request is discussed. 

IV. Security, Building, and Parking 

Guidelines 

The meetings are held within the 

CMS Complex which is not open to the 

general public. Visitors to the complex 

are required to show a valid 

Government issued photo identification 

preferably a driver’s license, at the time 

of entry. Participants will also be subject 

to a vehicle security inspection before 

access to the complex is granted. 

Participants not in possession of a valid 

identification or who are in possession 

of prohibited items will be denied 

access to the complex. Prohibited items 

on federal property include but are not 

limited to, alcoholic beverages, illegal 

narcotics, explosives, firearms or other 

dangerous weapons (including pocket 

knives), dogs or other animals except 

service animals. Once cleared for entry 

to the complex participants will be 

directed to visitor parking by a security 

officer. 

In order to ensure expedited entry 

into the building it is recommended that 

participants have their ID and a copy of 

their written meeting registration 

confirmation readily available and that 

they do not bring large/bulky items into 

the building. Participants are reminded 

that photography on the CMS complex 

is prohibited. CMS has also been 

declared a tobacco free campus and 

violators are subject to legal action. In 

planning arrival time, we recommend 

allowing additional time to clear 

security. Individuals who are not 

registered in advance will not be 

permitted to enter the building and will 

be unable to attend the meeting. The 

invited guests may not enter the 

building earlier than 45 minutes before 

the convening of the meeting each day. 

Guest access to the complex is limited 

to the meeting area, the main entrance 

lobby, and the cafeteria. If a visitor is 

found outside of those areas without 

proper escort they may be escorted off 

of the premises. Also be mindful that 

there will be an opportunity for 

everyone to speak and we request that 

everyone waits for the appropriate time 

to present their product or opinions. 

Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated 

and may result in removal from the 

meetings and escort from the complex. 

No visitor is allowed to attach USB 

cables, thumb drives or any other 

equipment to any CMS information 

technology (IT) system or hardware for 

any purpose at anytime. Additionally, 

CMS staff is prohibited from taking such 

actions on behalf of a visitor or utilizing 

any removable media provided by a 

visitor. 

We cannot assume responsibility for 

coordinating the receipt, transfer, 

transport, storage, set-up, safety, or 

timely arrival of any personal 

belongings or items used for 

demonstration or to support a 

presentation. Special arrangements and 

approvals are required at least 2 weeks 

prior to each public meeting in order to 

bring pieces of equipment or medical 

devices. These arrangements need to be 

made with the public meeting 

coordinator. It is possible that certain 

requests made in advance of the public 

meeting could be denied because of 

unique safety, security or handling 

issues related to the equipment. A 

minimum of 2 weeks is required for 

approvals and security procedures. Any 

request not submitted at least 2 weeks 

in advance of the public meeting will be 

denied. 

Foreign National Visitors are defined 

as Non-U.S. Citizens, and non-lawful 

permanent residents, non-resident 

aliens or non-green-card holders. 

Attendees that are foreign nationals 

must identify themselves as such, and 

provide the following information for 

security clearance to the public meeting 

coordinator by the date specified in the 

DATES section of this notice: 

• Building to Visit/Destination. 

• Visit start date, start time, end date, 

end time. 

• Visitor full name. 

• Gender. 

• Visitor Title. 

• Visitor Organization/Employer. 

• Citizenship. 

• Birth Place (City, Country). 

• Date of Birth. 

• ID Type (Passport or State 

Department ID). 

• Passport issued by Country. 

• ID (passport) Number. 

• ID (passport) issue date. 

• ID (passport)expiration date. 

• Visa Type. 

• Visa Number. 

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10694 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 39 / Friday, February 27, 2015 / Notices 

• Purpose of Visit. 

Dated: February 18, 2015. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Administrator, Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2015–04178 Filed 2–26–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–7035–N] 

Health Insurance Marketplace, 

Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s 

Health Insurance Programs; Meeting of 

the Advisory Panel on Outreach and 

Education (APOE), March 19, 2015 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Advisory Panel on 

Outreach and Education (APOE) (the 

Panel) in accordance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The Panel 

advises and makes recommendations to 

the Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) and 

the Administrator of the Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on 

opportunities to enhance the 

effectiveness of consumer education 

strategies concerning the Health 

Insurance Marketplace, Medicare, 

Medicaid, and the Children’s Health 

Insurance Program (CHIP). This meeting 

is open to the public. 

DATES: Meeting Date: Thursday, March 

19, 2015, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. eastern 

standard time (e.s.t.). 

Deadline for Meeting Registration, 

Presentations and Comments: Thursday, 

March 5, 2015, 5:00 p.m., e.s.t. 

Deadline for Requesting Special 

Accommodations: Thursday, March 5, 

2015, 5:00 p.m., e.s.t. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: U.S. 

Department of Health & Human 

Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 

200 Independence Avenue SW., Room 

738 G, Conference Room, Washington, 

DC 20201. 

Presentations and Written Comments: 

Abigail Huffman, Designated Federal 

Official (DFO), Division of Forum and 

Conference Development, Office of 

Communications, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services, 7500 Security 

Boulevard, Mailstop S1–13–05, 

Baltimore, MD 21244–1850 or contact 

Ms. Huffman via email at 

Abigail.Huffman1@cms.hhs.gov. 

Registration: The meeting is open to 

the public, but attendance is limited to 

the space available. Persons wishing to 

attend this meeting must register at the 

Web site https://www.regonline.com/ 

apoemar2015meeting or by contacting 

the DFO at the address listed in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice or by 

telephone at number listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 

this notice, by the date listed in the 

DATES section of this notice. Individuals 

requiring sign language interpretation or 

other special accommodations should 

contact the DFO at the address listed in 

the ADDRESSES section of this notice by 

the date listed in the DATES section of 

this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Abigail Huffman, (410) 786–0897. 

Additional information about the APOE 

is available on the Internet at: http:// 

www.cms.gov/Regulations-andGuidance/Guidance/FACA/APOE.html. 

Press inquiries are handled through 

the CMS Press Office at (202) 690–6145. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with section 10(a) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA), this notice announces a 

meeting of the Advisory Panel on 

Outreach and Education (APOE) (the 

Panel). Section 9(a)(2) of the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act authorizes the 

Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) (the 

Secretary) to establish an advisory panel 

if the Secretary determines that the 

panel is ‘‘in the public interest in 

connection with the performance of 

duties imposed * * * by law.’’ Such 

duties are imposed by section 1804 of 

the Social Security Act (the Act), 

requiring the Secretary to provide 

informational materials to Medicare 

beneficiaries about the Medicare 

program, and section 1851(d) of the Act, 

requiring the Secretary to provide for 

‘‘activities * * * to broadly disseminate 

information to [M]edicare beneficiaries 

* * * on the coverage options provided 

under [Medicare Advantage] in order to 

promote an active, informed selection 

among such options.’’ 

The Panel is also authorized by 

section 1114(f) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 

1314(f)) and section 222 of the Public 

Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 217a). The 

Secretary signed the charter establishing 

the Panel on January 21, 1999 (64 FR 

7899, February 17, 1999) and approved 

the renewal of the charter on December 

18, 2012 (78 FR 32661, May 31, 2013). 

The Affordable Care Act (Patient 

Protection and Affordable Care Act, 

Pub. L. 111 148 and Health Care and 

Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, 

Pub. L. 111–152) expanded the 

availability of other options for health 

care coverage and enacted a number of 

changes to Medicare as well as to 

Medicaid and the Children’s Health 

Insurance Program (CHIP). Qualified 

individuals and qualified employers are 

now able to purchase private health 

insurance coverage through competitive 

marketplace called Affordable Insurance 

Exchange, (also called Health Insurance 

Marketplace, or ‘‘Marketplace’’). In 

order to effectively implement and 

administer these changes, we must 

provide information to consumers, 

providers and other stakeholders 

pursuant to education and outreach 

programs regarding how these programs 

will change and the expanded range of 

health coverage options available, 

including private health insurance 

coverage through the Marketplace. The 

APOE allows us to consider a broad 

range of views and information from 

interested audiences in connection with 

this effort and to identify opportunities 

to enhance the effectiveness of 

education strategies concerning the 

Affordable Care Act. 

This FACA group also advises on 

issues pertaining to education of 

providers and stakeholders with respect 

to the Affordable Care Act and certain 

provisions of the Health Information 

Technology for Economic and Clinical 

Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of 

the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). 

Pursuant to the amended charter, the 

Panel advises and makes 

recommendations to the Secretary of 

HHS and the Administrator of the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS) concerning optimal 

strategies for the following: 

• Developing and implementing 

education and outreach programs for 

individuals enrolled in, or eligible for 

Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s 

Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or 

health coverage available through the 

Health Insurance Marketplace. 

• Enhancing the federal government’s 

effectiveness in informing Health 

Insurance Marketplace, Medicare, 

Medicaid, and CHIP consumers, issuers, 

providers, and stakeholders pursuant to 

education and outreach programs of 

issues regarding these and other health 

coverage programs, including the 

appropriate use of public-private 

partnerships to leverage the resources of 

the private sector in educating 

beneficiaries, providers, and 

stakeholders. 

• Expanding outreach to vulnerable 

and underserved communities, 

including racial and ethnic minorities, 

in the context of Health Insurance 

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