BENES Act of 2016

Medicare Part B Premium. (No bill.) Proposals to mitigate the expected increase in the 2017 Part B premium for beneficiaries not protected by the "hold harmless" provision. Medicare Part B Enrollment. Comments on the CMS/HHS Proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2018. Medicare Supplemental Insurance. H.R. 6265, the Medigap Consumer Protection Act of 2016: proposal to improve access to and improve beneficiary information about Medigap for seniors and disabled individuals in the traditional Medicare program. Medicare Affordability. S. 3371, H.R. 6109, Medicare Affordability and Enrollment Act of 2016: proposals to improve Medicare for beneficiaries by capping out-of-pocket costs in traditional Medicare; increasing financial assistance for low-income beneficiaries; aligning the Medicare Savings Programs and Low-Income Subsidy; eliminating the 24- month waiting period for Medicare coverage for people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits; making changes in the enrollment period for Medicare; eliminating gaps between enrollment and when actual coverage begins; limiting the Part B late enrollment penalty; and providing permanent funding for the State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), Aging and Disability Resource Centers ADRCs) and the National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment. Medicare Part B Enrollment. S. 3236, H.R. 5772, the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act: legislation to modernize and simplify Part B enrollment. Medicare Hearing Coverage. H.R. 1653, the Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2015: proposal to provide Medicare coverage for the cost of hearing aids and examinations. Medicare Dental Coverage. S. 570, H.R. 1055, the Comprehensive Dental Reform Act of 2015: proposal to expand Medicare coverage to include dental care. Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Coverage. H.R. 5396, H.R. 3308: Proposals to expand Medicare coverage to include comprehensive coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. Home-based Primary Medical Care. S. 3130, Independence at Home Act of 2016: legislation to expand the Independence at Home Medicare demonstration project providing home-based primary medical care to elders with severe chronic illness and disability. Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices. S. 804, Medicare CGM Access Act: legislation to provide Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices for beneficiaries with diabetes who meet specified medical criteria. Biologics Market Exclusivity Period. S. 3094, H.R. 5573, Price Relief, Innovation and Competition for Essential Drugs (PRICED) Act: legislation to reduce the market exclusivity period for biologics from its current 12 years to seven years. Drug Manufacture Transparency. S. 3335, H.R. 6043, Fair Accountability and Innovative Research Drug Pricing Act of 2016: proposal to require drug manufacturers to be more transparent about justification for increases in drug prices over ten percent, namely to report their spending on a drug's research and development as well as their profits on a drug each year since its approval. Drug Importation. H.R. 2623, the Personal Drug Importation Fairness Act: proposal to establish policies for the safe reimportation of pharmaceutical drugs by individuals for their personal use. Containment of Prescription Drug Costs. S. 2023, the Prescription Drug Affordability Act: proposals to require Medicare to negotiate drug prices under the Medicare Part D prescription drug program; allow for importation of prescription drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies; require manufacturers to provide a rebate to the federal government for drugs covered under Medicare Part D for low-income Medicare beneficiaries; require generic drug manufacturers to pay an additional rebate to Medicaid if their drug prices rise faster than inflation; close the Medicare Part D donut hole for brand and generic drugs by 2017; and prohibit anti-competitive pay-for-delay arrangements between brand and generic drug makers. Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation Authority. H.R. 4207, Medicare Fair Drug Pricing Act: proposal to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies when drugs lack sufficient competition. Medicare Observation Status. S. 843, H.R. 1571, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2015: proposal to count days in the hospital in observation status toward meeting the three-day prior hospitalization requirement for skilled nursing facility (SNF) care eligibility. Medicare Privatization. (No bill.) Proposals to transform traditional Medicare to a private insurance carrier program. Medicare Eligibility Age. (No bill.) Proposals to raise the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67. Medicaid Restructuring. (No bill.) Proposals to change Medicaid from an entitlement program to block grants or per capita caps, forms of lump sum payments from the federal government. Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal. (No bill.) Proposals to repeal the ACA affecting the closing of the Medicare Part D donut hole, Medicare coverage of ACA-mandated preventive services, and payment and delivery reforms that extend the life of the Medicare Part A Trust Fund. Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) extension. (No bill.) Proposal to add an extension of the Medicare therapy cap exceptions process.

Client expense: $200,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), President of the U.S., SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), Treasury, Dept of, Vice President of the U.S.

Medicare improvements for retired servicemembers and military families. H.R. 5772 and S. 3236, LCAO letter on educate individuals approaching Medicare eligibility, to simplify and modernize the eligibility enrollment process, and to provide for additional assistance for complaints and requests of Medicare beneficiaries that relate to their enrollment in Medicare

Client expense: $465,038 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Air Force, Dept of, Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers), Army, Dept of (Other), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Government Accountability Office (GAO), Government Printing Office (GPO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Natl Guard, Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Navy, Dept of, Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Office of the Secretary of Defense, President of the U.S., SENATE, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Marines, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), Veterans Employment & Training Service

H.R. 1378, S. 789 - Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social Work Reinvestment Act Public Law No: 114-144, S. 192 - Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015 H.R. 2646 Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 S.1945 Mental Health Reform Act of 2015 S.2680 Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 S. 993/H.R. 1854 Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act of 2015 S. 1893 Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015 S. 2691 Integrating Behavioral Health Through Technology Act of 2016 H.R. 1559/S.857 Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimers Act S. 1719/H.R. 3099 the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engagement (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act H.R. 2515/S. 1865 Anna Westin Act of 2015 H.R. 3913 the Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act S.2691 Integrating Behavioral Health through Technology Act of 2016 S.3130 Independence at Home Act of 2016 S.1455, H.R. 2536 Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Act S.3236/H.R. 5772 the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act. Public Law No: 114-198, S.524/ H.R. 953 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery (CARA) Act of 2016 Opioid Abuse Epidemic Affordable Care Act Integration Practice and Reimbursement issues related to clinical social workers Chronic Care

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $40,000

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE, White House Office