Tag: shift

Postal provider reform bill would shift retirees health treatment expenses to Medicare : Shots

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A US Postal assistance staff unloads mail at a facility on February 10, 2022 in Houston, Texas. On February 8, the Property of Reps passed the Postal Assistance Reform Act of 2022 (H.R. 3076). The laws will tackle operational and monetary concerns that the agency has been grappling with for years.

Brandon Bell/Getty Illustrations or photos


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Brandon Bell/Getty Illustrations or photos

A US Postal company staff unloads mail at a facility on February 10, 2022 in Houston, Texas. On February 8, the Property of Associates handed the Postal Company Reform Act of 2022 (H.R. 3076). The laws will tackle operational and financial challenges that the agency has been grappling with for years.

Brandon Bell/Getty Pictures

A very long-awaited invoice to correct the nation’s deteriorating mail provider is on the verge of passage in the Senate, but it could occur at the cost of an even even larger and a lot more difficult trouble: Medicare solvency.

The Postal Support Reform Act of 2022 would aid shore up article workplace finances by ending the abnormal and onerous lawful prerequisite to fund 75 a long time of retirement health and fitness benefits in advance. In return, it would require long term Postal Provider retirees to enroll in Medicare.

In accordance to the Congressional Spending plan Office, the shift could save the postal retirement and well being programs about $5.6 billion as a result of 2031 whilst adding $5.5 billion in costs to Medicare through that span, and possibly significantly a lot more in later on many years.

Taking into consideration the large dimensions of Medicare — it put in $926 billion in 2020 — the expenditures never sum to considerably. That small money effect, and the ongoing immediate crises with mail supply, in all probability account for the robust bipartisan assistance the postal monthly bill has been given in Congress, with 120 Republicans joining Democrats to go the invoice in the Household on Feb. 8.

But late in the process, some lawmakers are elevating alarms around the shift, arguing that possibly Congress must glimpse additional carefully at the fiscal effect to Medicare’s belief fund, which is envisioned to run dry in 2026.

“This invoice simply shifts possibility to Medicare recipients by incorporating billions of new expenses to Medicare,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., claimed Feb. 14 in blocking requests on the Senate flooring to expedite passage of the invoice. Scott’s objection delayed consideration of the invoice till early March, following the Senate returns from its Presidents Working day split.

Presently, Postal Support staff members are coated by strategies presented in the Federal Employees Wellbeing Added benefits plan. When they retire they have a number of decisions for wellbeing treatment, including staying in their initial plan or switching to Medicare as their major protection and owning an FEHB strategy serve as supplementary protection. About 20% of postal retirees do not indication up for Medicare, preferring their latest federal plan. Below this legislation, they would have to change to Medicare, but

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From facility to home: How healthcare could shift by 2025

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When patients enter a healthcare facility, their primary aims are to become well again and to go home. While increasing disease burden and rising healthcare costs in the United States have already contributed to a boost in Care at Home services, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a catalyst to truly reimagine their future.



Based on a survey of physicians who serve predominantly Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) and Medicare Advantage (MA) patients, we estimate that up to $265 billion worth of care services (representing up to 25 percent of the total cost of care) for Medicare FFS and MA beneficiaries could shift from traditional facilities to the home by 2025 without a reduction in quality or access.


That number represents a three- to fourfold increase in the cost of care being delivered at home today for this population, although how the shift will affect reimbursement rates is not yet clear. What’s more, Care at Home could create value for payers, healthcare facilities and physician groups, Care at Home providers, technology companies, and investors. It also could improve patients’ quality of care and experience.

That said, several factors could affect adoption of these services. We outline those factors below, along with actions that stakeholders can take to address them. We also discuss why Care at Home services are rising, how Care at Home could create value for stakeholders and lead to higher-quality care for patients, areas where care could shift from traditional facilities to the home, and strategies for successfully adopting Care at Home.

How the COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed Care at Home

A variety of pandemic-related factors have created an opportunity to rethink Care at Home. These include the following:

  • Growth in virtual care: In February 2021, the use of telehealth was 38 times higher than prepandemic levels. While the future of reimbursement parity for telehealth is not yet clear, payers and providers have an opportunity to respond to evolving consumer needs. About 40 percent of surveyed consumers said that they expect to continue using telehealth going forward. This represents an increase from 11 percent of consumers using telehealth prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • More patients with post-acute and long-term care needs may be evaluating their options: As baby boomers age and families contend with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 crisis, a growing number of patients and families may be considering their options for post-acute and long-term care. Ideally, eligible individuals would receive care in the most appropriate setting, whether that is at home or in a facility for rehabilitation, assisted living, skilled nursing, or long-term care. A combination of remote monitoring, telehealth, social supports, and home modification may enable more patients to receive some level of Care at Home. The share of Medicare visits conducted through telehealth, for example, rose to 52.7 million in 2020, from approximately 840,000 in 2019, according to a December 2021 report
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