CENTER UPDATE | May 2020
This update features policy developments, media reports, and new resources
supporting continued momentum for multiple V-BID Center initiatives.
CMS Promotes V-BID in Final Payment Notice for 2021
The final 2021 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters rule, released on May 7, 2020, provides broad support for the inclusion of V-BID principles in exchange plans. View our press release for more information.
V-BID Principles Included in Latest COVID-19 Legislation
The U.S. House of Representatives introduced a new stimulus bill, the “HEROES Act,” which includes a number of cost-sharing provisions aimed at mitigating the financial burden of COVID-19 testing and treatment.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Signs Order Giving Flexibility to Medicaid Agency
In an effort to increase access to care during the current public health crisis, Northam signed Executive Order Fifty-Eight, which gives the Department of Medical Assistance Services the flexibility to make critical services available to people who need them as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
5 Ways the CARES Act Affects HSAs, FSAs and HRAs
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act provided emergency relief in response to COVID-19. The legislation includes provisions that impact how health savings accounts can be used.
Brief: Strategies for Incorporating Value-Based Insurance Design in Health Insurance Exchanges
This updated brief provides detailed policy options for the incorporation of V-BID principles in health insurance exchanges, including the V-BID X template health plan, which received broad support from CMS.
Animated Video: Increasing Access to High-Value Care Through V-BID
Our new video outlines the principles of value-based insurance design and illustrates how V-BID X can serve as a template for expanding pre-deductible coverage on high-value services through identifying, measuring, and reducing low-value care.
COVID-19 Care is (Mostly) Free to Patients. Should Other Vital Care Be, Too?
In the face of a pandemic, health insurers, employers, and state and federal governments made drastic changes to their policies to ensure access to critical COVID-19 related care. In this article, Mark Fendrick, MD, argues that we should keep the momentum going for other forms of necessary care.
Most Payers Cover Member Costs for COVID-19 Testing, Treatment
A majority of the nation’s payers are waiving copayments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 related testing and treatment.
Opinion: How Health Insurers Can Be Heroes. Really.
In this opinion piece, Drs. Amol S. Navathe and Ezekiel J. Emanuel, physicians and directors of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, recommend that insurers use the profits they’ve made during the pandemic to lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and provide financial support to physician practices and smaller hospitals.
Video: Incorporating V-BID Into Our COVID-19 Response and the "New Normal" to Follow
Christina Mattina interviewed Dr. Mark Fendrick about how V-BID principles can be incorporated into the COVID-19 response, and how they can help shape healthcare delivery into the future.
Utilization and Spending on Low-Value Medical Care Across Four States
A new paper from VBID Health analyzes utilization of and spending on specified low-value care in four states and outlines the four-pronged goal of identifying, measuring, reporting, and reducing low-value care.
Expanding Coverage for Essential Care During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the health care cost crisis in America, putting those with chronic conditions and low incomes at the most risk. Swift implementation of V-BID reforms can increase access to needed care.
Please Help Support the V-BID Center
As a non-profit entity, the V-BID Center relies on fundraising to support our research, education, and policy efforts. Please help us continue our work by donating here. We truly appreciate your consideration.