Statement on Senate Introduction of the Value in Health Care Act

By Soumi Saha, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs

Premier applauds Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Peter Welch (D-VT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Thune (R-SD) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for introducing the bipartisan Value in Health Care Act (S. 3503) legislation that prioritizes investments in wellness-focused, coordinated care to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients.

Accountable care organizations and other alternative payment models allow providers to work together with aligned incentives that are focused on keeping patients healthy and getting them the care they need in a way that is not possible in fee-for-service Medicare. To be successful in these models, healthcare providers must invest in quality measurement and improvement, patient-centered care and advanced technologies that facilitate knowledge sharing and care coordination. The best way to keep up the momentum for value-based care is for Congress to pass the bipartisan, bicameral Value in Health Care Act, which extends Medicare’s incentives for providers who participate in these models.

To put it simply, if Congress does not act to extend the incentive payments, value-based care will suffer a setback. With record labor shortages, unprecedented margin pressures and an aging population, we should be redoubling efforts to support providers’ investments in innovative approaches to delivering high-quality care at a lower cost.