02/13/2018

Budget Deal Passed by Congress Addresses Key Cancer Policy Issues

On February 9, Congress passed the “Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018,” which funds the federal government through March 23, 2018, and raises the federal budget caps for the next two years. The budget deal includes several key policies of importance to the cancer community:

Corrects MIPS to Exclude Part B Drug Reimbursement. The law includes an important correction to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) to ensure that payment adjustments under the program are not applied to Medicare Part B drug reimbursement. 

Increases Funding for Cancer Research. As part of the budget deal, Congress also agreed to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the next two years by at least $2 billion, signaling a continued bipartisan commitment to biomedical research in the United States.

Makes Other Technical Amendments to the Quality Payment Program. The deal allows the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reweight the cost performance category to not less than 10 percent for the third, fourth, and fifth years of MIPS. The deal further allows the Physician Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) to provide initial feedback regarding the extent to which alternative payment models meet criteria and an explanation of the basis for the feedback.

Eases Unnecessary Burden of Meaningful Use Programs. The deal removes the current mandate that meaningful use standards become more stringent over time. Physicians will no longer have to submit and receive a hardship exception.

Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Congress has repealed IPAB, a commission created by the Affordable Care Act with the authority to make targeted cuts to Medicare—including to physician payments. 

Provides Emergency Medicaid Funds for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Congress increased Medicaid caps for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by $4.18 billion and $142.5 million, respectively, and provided for 100 percent federal cost sharing for Medicaid in both territories. This important change will make it easier for patients with cancer affected by recent hurricanes to access cancer care.

Provides Funds to Address Opioid Epidemic. The bill provides an additional $6 billion to address the opioid epidemic in the United States.

The measure also includes a two-year extension of the Medicare sequester, which re-imposes budget caps on Medicare spending.