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PRINCIPLES AND GOALS
- Educate Medicare beneficiaries on availability of new benefits and choices. The recently enacted Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 will provide more comprehensive health care coverage, including
prescription drug coverage. Medicare beneficiaries, including those with employer-provided health benefits, will have the option of keeping their current coverage or choosing a private health plan
strengthened by the new law.
Additionally, seniors will now have benefits such as preventive physical exams, diabetes and cardiovascular screenings, and disease management programs. Medicare beneficiaries, more so than other age populations, can benefit from these new coverage options and preventive measures which can help reduce long-term costs and ensure appropriate, early treatment of health problems
- Implement the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 is a critical step toward comprehensive Medicare reform. Congress and the Administration will continue this important work through implementation and future improvements. Implementation will improve access to prescription drugs and strengthen health care choices for seniors. AIM will seek to ensure quick implementation that provides access and coverage for seniors as well as flexibility for providers to improve quality of care and to better manage costs.
- Ensure availability of health care coverage choices through competition.
Medicare beneficiaries will now have more health care coverage options, including traditional fee-for-service Medicare and a variety of private health
plans. The new Medicare Advantage program will provide these coverage options to allow a broader range of seniors to select health coverage that best fits their needs. Competition among health plans
for beneficiaries will improve the quality and affordability of health care for both beneficiaries and government.
- Ensure adequate reimbursements for all Medicare providers. Inadequate provider and medical technology reimbursement levels have in the past undermined patient care and progress toward a modernized program. Congress and the Administration must ensure adequate provider and health plan payments and must also avoid excessive regulation of private sector health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program. Over the past several years, prior to the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, inadequate funding of the Medicare+Choice program forced many health plans to reduce benefits, increase premiums, limit service areas or withdraw from the program altogether.
- Increase flexibility to ensure access to new health care technologies and innovations. AIM continues to work toward reducing potential obstacles to patients' access to care. This effort also seeks to ensure that Medicare has the flexibility to make new health care innovations and technologies more accessible to beneficiaries. Quality health care for Medicare beneficiaries requires these new technologies to be available for all patients. Additionally, implementation of the new prescription drug benefit should include effective management tools to ensure reliable coverage and long-term success.
- Ensure the long term integrity and solvency of the Medicare program for future generations of beneficiaries. Medicare's fiscal solvency faces challenges presented by the retirement of the baby boom generation, which will more than double the number of Medicare beneficiaries by 2035. Competition among health care plans and providers will help the program remain financially sustainable. Continued consideration of cost-containment measures may be necessary to ensure the long-term viability of the Medicare program.
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