[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 154 (Friday, August 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37593-37595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16979]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-7046-N]


Health Insurance Marketplace[hairsp]\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and 
Children's Health Insurance Programs; Meeting of the Advisory Panel on 
Outreach and Education (APOE), September 13, 2017

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the next 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[hairsp]\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health 
Insurance Program (CHIP). This meeting is open to the public.

DATES: Meeting Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2017, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 
p.m. eastern daylight time (e.d.t).
    Deadline for Meeting Registration, Presentations, Special 
Accommodations and Comments: Wednesday, August 30, 2017, 5:00 p.m. 
(e.d.t.).

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: U.S. Department of Health & Human 
Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW., 
Room 505A, Conference Room, Washington, DC 20201.
    Presentations and Written Comments: Presentations and written 
comments should be submitted to: Thomas Dudley, Designated Federal 
Official (DFO), Office of Communications, Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mailstop S1-05-06, 
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#57033f383a3624791322333b322e17343a24793f3f2479303821"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2175494e4c40520f6554454d445861424c520f4949520f464e57">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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/apoesept2017meeting or by contacting the DFO as 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: Thomas Dudley, Designated Federal 
Official, Office of Communications, CMS, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail 
Stop S1-05-06, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, 410-786-1442, email 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2b7f4344464a58056f5e4f474e526b48465805434358054c445d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="66320e090b0715482213020a031f26050b15480e0e1548010910">[email protected]</span></a>. Additional information about the APOE is 
available on the Internet at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/APOE.html. Press inquiries are handled through 
the CMS Press Office at (202) 690-6145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education (APOE) (the Panel) is 
governed by the provisions of Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) 
(Pub. L. 92-463), as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), which sets forth 
standards for the formation and use of federal advisory committees. The 
Panel is authorized by section 1114(f) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1314(f)) and section 222 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 217a).
    The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS) (the Secretary) signed the charter establishing the Citizen's 
Advisory Panel on Medicare Education \1\ (the

[[Page 37594]]

predecessor to the APOE) on January 21, 1999 (64 FR 7899, February 17, 
1999) to advise and make recommendations to the Secretary and the 
Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on 
the effective implementation of national Medicare education programs, 
including with respect to the Medicare+Choice (M+C) program added by 
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (Pub. L. 105-33).
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    \1\ We note that the Citizen's Advisory Panel on Medicare 
Education is also referred to as the Advisory Panel on Medicare 
Education (65 FR 4617). The name was updated in the Second Amended 
Charter approved on July 24, 2000.
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    The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Pub. L. 108-173) 
expanded the existing health plan options and benefits available under 
the M+C program and renamed it the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. We 
have had substantial responsibilities to provide information to 
Medicare beneficiaries about the range of health plan options available 
and better tools to evaluate these options. The successful MA program 
implementation required CMS to consider the views and policy input from 
a variety of private sector constituents and to develop a broad range 
of public-private partnerships.
    In addition, Title I of the MMA authorized the Secretary and the 
Administrator of CMS (by delegation) to establish the Medicare 
prescription drug benefit. The drug benefit allows beneficiaries to 
obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. In order to effectively 
administer the MA program and the Medicare prescription drug benefit, 
we have substantial responsibilities to provide information to Medicare 
beneficiaries about the range of health plan options and benefits 
available, and to develop better tools to evaluate these plans and 
benefits.
    The Affordable Care Act (Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
Act, Public Law 111-148, and Health Care and Education Reconciliation 
Act of 2010, Public Law 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 a 
competitive marketplace, called an Affordable Insurance Exchange (also 
called Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\,\2\ or Marketplace\SM\). In 
order to effectively implement and administer these changes, we must 
provide information to consumers, providers, and other stakeholders 
through education and outreach programs regarding how existing programs 
will change and the expanded range of health coverage options 
available, including private health insurance coverage through the 
Marketplace\SM\. 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.
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    \2\ Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\ and Marketplace\SM\ are 
service marks of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
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    The scope of this panel also includes advising on issues pertaining 
to the 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).
    On January 21, 2011, the Panel's charter was renewed and the Panel 
was renamed the Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education. The Panel's 
charter was most recently renewed on January 19, 2017, and will 
terminate on January 19, 2019 unless renewed by appropriate action.
    Under the current charter, the APOE will advise the Secretary and 
the Administrator on optimal strategies for the following:
    <bullet> 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 
coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\ and 
other CMS programs.
    <bullet> Enhancing the federal government's effectiveness in 
informing Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and 
CHIP consumers, issuers, providers, and stakeholders, through education 
and outreach programs, on issues regarding these programs, including 
the appropriate use of public-private partnerships to leverage the 
resources of the private sector in educating beneficiaries, providers, 
and stakeholders.
    <bullet> Expanding outreach to vulnerable and underserved 
communities, including racial and ethnic minorities, in the context of 
Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP 
education programs and other CMS programs as designated.
    <bullet> Assembling and sharing an information base of ``best 
practices'' for helping consumers evaluate health coverage options.
    <bullet> Building and leveraging existing community infrastructures 
for information, counseling, and assistance.
    <bullet> Drawing the program link between outreach and education, 
promoting consumer understanding of health care coverage choices, and 
facilitating consumer selection/enrollment, which in turn support the 
overarching goal of improved access to quality care, including 
prevention services, envisioned under the Affordable Care Act.
    The current members of the Panel are: Kellan Baker, Associate 
Director, Center for American Progress; Robert Blancato, President, 
Matz, Blancato & Associates; Dale Blasier, Professor of Orthopaedic 
Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Arkansas Children's Hospital; 
Deborah Britt, Executive Director of Community & Public Relations, 
Piedmont Fayette Hospital; Deena Chisolm, Associate Professor of 
Pediatrics & Public Health, The Ohio State University, Nationwide 
Children's Hospital; Josephine DeLeon, Director, Anti-Poverty 
Initiatives, Catholic Charities of California; Robert Espinoza, Vice 
President of Policy, Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute; Louise 
Scherer Knight, Director, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center 
at Johns Hopkins; Roanne Osborne-Gaskin, M.D., Senior Medical Director, 
MDWise, Inc.; Cathy Phan, Outreach and Education Coordinator, Asian 
American Health Coalition DBA HOPE Clinic; Kamilah Pickett, Litigation 
Support, Independent Contractor; Brendan Riley, Outreach and Enrollment 
Coordinator, NC Community Health Center Association; Alvia Siddiqi, 
Medicaid Managed Care Community Network (MCCN) Medical Director, 
Advocate Physician Partners, Carla Smith, Executive Vice President, 
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS); Tobin 
Van Ostern, Vice President and Co-Founder, Young Invincibles Advisors; 
and Paula Villescaz, Senior Consultant, Assembly Health Committee, 
California State Legislature.

II. Provisions of This Notice

    In accordance with section 10(a) of the FACA, this notice announces 
a meeting of the APOE. The agenda for the September 13, 2017 meeting 
will include the following:

<bullet> Welcome and listening session with CMS leadership
<bullet> Recap of the previous (March 22, 2017) meeting
<bullet> Review CMS programs and initiatives
<bullet> Provide an opportunity for public comment
<bullet> Summarize the meeting and review recommendations and next 
steps


[[Page 37595]]


    Individuals or organizations that wish to make a 5-minute oral 
presentation on an agenda topic should submit a written copy of the 
oral presentation to the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES section of this 
notice. The number of oral presentations may be limited by the time 
available. Individuals not wishing to make an oral presentation may 
submit written comments to the DFO at the address listed in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES 
section of this notice.

III. Security and Building

    The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to the 
space available. Persons wishing to attend this meeting must register 
by contacting the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice or by telephone at the number listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice by the date specified in the 
DATES section of this notice.
    Since this meeting will be held in a Federal Government Building, 
the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Federal security measures are 
applicable. In planning your arrival time, we recommend allowing 
additional time to clear security. To gain access to the building, 
participants will be required to show a government-issued photo 
identification (for example, driver's license or passport), and must be 
listed on an approved security list before persons are permitted 
entrance. Persons not registered in advance will not be permitted into 
the Hubert H. Humphrey Building and will not be permitted to attend the 
Panel meeting.
    All persons entering the building must pass through a metal 
detector. In addition, all items brought to the Hubert H. Humphrey 
Building, whether personal or for the purpose of presentation, are 
subject to inspection. 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 the purpose of 
presentation.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 217a, sec. 222 of the Public Health Service 
Act, as amended; 42 U.S.C. 1314(f), sec. 1114(f) of the Social 
Security Act; and Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2).

    Dated: August 2, 2017.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2017-16979 Filed 8-10-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4120-01-P


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