Foley & Lardner LLP partner Kinal Patel commented in the Modern Healthcare article, “Shared Savings Program ACOs wary as CMS halts pay models,” describing potential changes to watch as the Trump administration considers Medicare policy.
Patel said that while eliminating the Medicare Shared Savings Program would require an act of Congress given it was established under the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has latitude within the statutory language.
“You don’t need a targeted or wholesale repeal of the Affordable Care Act to remove or terminate the Medicare Shared Savings Program,” he explained. “CMS could just choose no longer to operate the program.”
Patel added that the agency could also reduce the model’s scope and discourage participation.
