Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-4579
Sponsor: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large]
Introduced: 2017-12-06 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Congressional oversight
Digestive and metabolic diseases
Disability and paralysis
Drug therapy
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health technology, devices, supplies
Home and outpatient care
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medicaid
Medicare
Nutrition and diet
Prescription drugs

Summary:
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: 

Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to:
 
 
extend the Independence at Home demonstration program; 
 
modify provisions regarding access to home dialysis therapy under Medicare and special needs plans under Medicare Advantage (MA); 
 
expand testing of the MA Value-Based Insurance Design test model; 
 
allow an MA plan to provide additional telehealth benefits to enrollees and, to chronically ill enrollees, certain supplemental health care benefits; 
 
modify other provisions regarding the use of telehealth services; 
 
allow prospective, voluntary assignment of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to accountable care organizations (ACOs); 
 
allow ACOs to operate beneficiary incentive programs;
 
require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a process for Medicare prescription-drug plan sponsors to request certain claims data from the CMS;
 
require the CMS to study and report to Congress on long-term risk factors for chronic conditions among Medicare beneficiaries; and
 
eliminate annual funding available to the Medicare Improvement Fund and the Medicaid Improvement Fund beginning in FY2021.

 
The Government Accountability Office shall conduct studies on:
 
 
the establishment of a payment code for a visit for longitudinal comprehensive care planning services, 
 
the extent to which Medicare prescription drug plans and private payors use programs that synchronize pharmacy dispensing to facilitate comprehensive counseling and promote medication adherence, and 
 
the use of prescription drugs to manage the weight of obese patients and the impact of such drug coverage on patient health and health care spending. 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-12-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Introduced in House