[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 33 (Friday, February 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 8514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03406]



[[Page 8514]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Request for Nominations, Technical Review Panel on the Medicare 
Trustees Reports

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

ACTION: Notice of Reestablishment of the Technical Review Panel on the 
Medicare Trustees Reports and Request for Nominations.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the provisions of FACA, and after 
consultation with the General Services Administration (GSA), the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has determined that the 
reestablishment of the Technical Review Panel on the Medicare Trustees 
Reports is in the public interest. This Panel shall advise the HHS 
Secretary about the econometric and actuarial techniques and economic 
assumptions utilized in the Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplementary 
Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund reports, thus enhancing her ability 
to fulfill duties and responsibilities imposed by the PHSA (42 U.S.C. 
201 et seq.)

DATES: Submit nominations on or before March 7, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Evaluation, Room 405-F, Humphrey Building, Department of Health and 
Human Services, Washington, DC 20201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald T. Oellerich, Ph.D., Department 
of Health and Human Services; Telephone (202) 690-8410, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board of Trustees of the Medicare Trust 
Funds report annually on the financial condition of the Hospital 
Insurance (HI) and Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) trust funds. 
These reports describe the trust funds' current and projected financial 
condition over the ``short term,'' or next decade, and the ``long 
term'' (75+ years). The Medicare Board of Trustees has requested that 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services (who is one of the Trustees) 
establish a panel of technical experts to review the methods used in 
the HI and SMI annual reports. The Secretary reestablished the 
Technical Review Panel on the Medicare Trustees Reports when she signed 
the charter on February 3, 2016.

Objectives and Scope of Activities

    The Technical Review Panel on the Medicare Trustees Reports shall 
counsel the HHS Secretary regarding the Hospital Insurance and 
Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund annual reports. The panel's 
duties shall include, but not be limited to, a review of the following 
topics: The long-term rate of growth, the sustainability of key 
Medicare cost growth factors under current law, future changes in 
utilization of care, the transition of short term to long range 
projections and current and alternate projection methodologies 
including the high and low cost options. The panel may also examine 
other methodological issues identified by panelists. The Panel's final 
report and its recommendations to the Secretary shall be only advisory 
in nature.

Membership and Designation

    The Secretary is soliciting nominations for appointment to the 9-
member Technical Review Panel from among members of the general public 
who are experts in health economics, actuarial science, statistics, 
public policy, or other fields that could inform and substantively 
contribute to panel deliberations. Each member of the panel shall be 
appointed for a term of 2 years.
    Nominations should be submitted to Donald T. Oellerich, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 200 Independence Avenue SW., 
Room 405F, Washington, DC 20201 no later than . When selecting members for this Technical Review Panel, 
HHS will give close attention to equitable geographic distribution and 
to minority and female representation so long as the effectiveness of 
the Panel is not impaired. Appointments shall be made without 
discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual 
orientation, HIV status, disability, and cultural, religious, or 
socioeconomic status.
    The Secretary, or her designee, shall appoint one of the members to 
serve as the Chair. Members shall be invited to serve for the duration 
of the panel. If members are selected from the Federal sector, they 
will be classified as regular government employees. Members who are 
selected from the public and/or private sector will be classified as 
special government employees. Any vacancy on the Technical Review Panel 
shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as 
the original appointment was made. An individual chosen to fill a 
vacancy shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member that is 
replaced.

Administrative Management and Support

    HHS will provide funding and administrative support for the 
Technical Review Panel to the extent permitted by law within existing 
appropriations. Staff will be assigned to support the activities of the 
Panel. Management and oversight for support services provided to the 
Panel will be the responsibility of the Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Office of the Actuary, 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). All executive 
departments and agencies and all entities within the Executive Office 
of the President shall provide information and assistance to the Panel 
as the Chair may request for purposes of carrying out the Panel's 
functions, to the extent permitted by law.
    A copy of the Panel's charter can be obtained from the designated 
contacts or by accessing the FACA database that is maintained by the 
GSA Committee Management Secretariat. The Web site for the FACA 
database is http://facadatabase.gov/.

    Authority:  The Technical Review Panel on the Medicare Trustees 
Reports is authorized by Sec. 222 of the Public Health Service Act 
(PHSA), Public Law 92-463. The Panel is governed by provisions of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended (5 U.S.C., 
App. 2), which sets forth standards for the formation and use of 
advisory committees.

    Dated: February 10, 2016.
Richard G. Frank,
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 2016-03406 Filed 2-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-05-P