[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 107 (Friday, June 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35770-35772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13085]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-7041-N]
Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and
Children's Health Insurance Program; Meeting of the Advisory Panel on
Outreach and Education (APOE), June 22, 2016
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the new meeting of the Advisory Panel on
Outreach and Education (APOE) (the Panel) in accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Panel advises and makes
recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) on opportunities to enhance the effectiveness
of Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\,\1\ Medicare, Medicaid, and
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) consumer education
strategies. This meeting is open to the public.
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\1\ Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\ and Marketplace\SM\ are
service marks of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
DATES: Meeting Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2016 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
eastern daylight time (e.d.t).
Deadline for Meeting Registration, Presentations, Special
Accommodations and Comments: Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 5:00 p.m.,
eastern daylight time (e.d.t.).
ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW.,
Room 425A, Conference Room, Washington, DC 20201.
Presentations and Written Comments: Presentations and written
comments should be submitted to: Abigail Huffman, Designated Federal
Official (DFO), Division of Forum and Conference Development, Office of
Communications, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Mailstop S1-05-06, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or via email at
[email protected].
Registration: The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is
limited to the space available. Persons wishing to attend this meeting
must register at the Web site https://www.regonline.com/apoejune2016meeting or, by contacting the DFO as listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice, by the date listed
in the DATES section of this notice. Individuals requiring sign
language interpretation or other special accommodations should contact
the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice
by the date listed in the DATES section of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Abigail Huffman, Designated Federal
Official, Office of Communications, CMS, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail
Stop S1-05-06, Baltimore, MD 21244, 410-786-0897, email
[email protected]. Additional information about the APOE is
available on the Internet at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/APOE.html. Press inquiries are handled through
the CMS Press Office at (202) 690-6145.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education (APOE) (the Panel) is
governed by the provisions of Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)
(Pub. L. 92-463), as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth
standards for the formation and use of federal advisory committees. The
Panel is authorized by section 1114(f) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1314(f)) and section 222 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 217a).
The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) (the Secretary) signed the charter establishing the Citizen's
Advisory Panel on Medicare Education \2\ (the predecessor to the APOE)
on January 21, 1999 (64 FR 7899, February 17, 1999) to advise and make
recommendations to the Secretary and the Administrator of the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the effective implementation
of national Medicare education programs, including with respect to the
Medicare+Choice (M+C) program added by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997
(Pub. L. 105-33).
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\2\ We note that the Citizen's Advisory Panel on Medicare
Education is also referred to as the Advisory Panel on Medicare
Education (65 FR 4617). The name was updated in the Second Amended
Charter approved on July 24, 2000.
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The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Pub. L. 108-173)
expanded the existing health plan options and benefits available under
the M+C program and renamed it the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. We
have had substantial responsibilities to provide information to
Medicare beneficiaries about the range of health plan options available
and better tools to evaluate these options. The successful MA program
implementation required CMS to consider the views and policy input from
a variety of private sector constituents and to develop a broad range
of public-private partnerships.
In addition, Title I of the MMA authorized the Secretary and the
Administrator of CMS (by delegation) to establish the Medicare
prescription drug benefit. The drug benefit allows beneficiaries to
obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. In order to effectively
administer the MA program and the Medicare prescription drug benefit,
we have substantial responsibilities to provide information to Medicare
beneficiaries about the range of health plan options and benefits
available, and to develop better tools to evaluate these plans and
benefits.
The Affordable Care Act (Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, Pub. L. 111-148, and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act
of 2010, Pub. L. 111-152) expanded the availability of other options
for health care coverage and enacted a number of changes to Medicare as
well as to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Qualified individuals and qualified employers are now able to purchase
private health insurance coverage through competitive marketplaces,
called Affordable Insurance Exchanges (we also call an Exchange a
Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\ or Marketplace\SM\). In order to
effectively implement and administer these changes, we must
[[Page 35771]]
provide information to consumers, providers, and other stakeholders
through education and outreach programs regarding how existing programs
will change and the expanded range of health coverage options
available, including private health insurance coverage through the
Marketplace\SM\. The APOE (the Panel) allows us to consider a broad
range of views and information from interested audiences in connection
with this effort and to identify opportunities to enhance the
effectiveness of education strategies concerning the Affordable Care
Act.
The scope of this panel also includes advising on issues pertaining
to the education of providers and stakeholders with respect to the
Affordable Care Act and certain provisions of the Health Information
Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act enacted as
part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
On January 21, 2011, the Panel's charter was renewed and the Panel
was renamed the Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education. The Panel's
charter was most recently renewed on January 21, 2015, and will
terminate on January 21, 2017 unless renewed by appropriate action.
Under the current charter, the APOE will advise the Secretary and
the Administrator on optimal strategies for the following:
Developing and implementing education and outreach
programs for individuals enrolled in, or eligible for, Medicare,
Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or
coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\.
Enhancing the federal government's effectiveness in
informing Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and
CHIP consumers, issuers, providers, and stakeholders, through education
and outreach programs, on issues regarding these programs, including
the appropriate use of public-private partnerships to leverage the
resources of the private sector in educating beneficiaries, providers,
and stakeholders.
Expanding outreach to vulnerable and underserved
communities, including racial and ethnic minorities, in the context of
Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP
education programs.
Assembling and sharing an information base of ``best
practices'' for helping consumers evaluate health coverage options.
Building and leveraging existing community infrastructures
for information, counseling, and assistance.
Drawing the program link between outreach and education,
promoting consumer understanding of health care coverage choices, and
facilitating consumer selection/enrollment, which in turn support the
overarching goal of improved access to quality care, including
prevention services, envisioned under the Affordable Care Act.
The current members of the Panel are: Kellan Baker, Associate
Director, Center for American Progress; Robert Blancato, President,
Matz, Blancato & Associates; Dale Blasier, Professor of Orthopedic
Surgery, Department of Orthopedics, Arkansas Children's Hospital;
Deborah Britt, Executive Director of Community & Public Relations,
Piedmont Fayette Hospital; Deena Chisolm, Associate Professor of
Pediatrics & Public Health, The Ohio State University, Nationwide
Children's Hospital; Josephine DeLeon, Director, Anti-Poverty
Initiatives, Catholic Charities of California; Robert Espinoza, Vice
President of Policy, Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute; Jennifer
Gross, Manager of Political Field Operations, Planned Parenthood of
Montana; Louise Scherer Knight, Director, The Sidney Kimmel
Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins; Miriam Mobley-Smith,
Dean, Director of Strategic Alliances, Pharmacy Technician
Certification Board; Roanne Osborne-Gaskin, M.D., Senior Medical
Director, MDWise, Inc.; Cathy Phan, Outreach and Education Coordinator,
Asian American Health Coalition DBA HOPE Clinic; Kamilah Pickett,
Litigation Support, Independent Contractor; Brendan Riley, Outreach and
Enrollment Coordinator, NC Community Health Center Association; Alvia
Siddiqi, Medicaid Managed Care Community Network (MCCN) Medical
Director, Advocate Physician Partners, Carla Smith, Executive Vice
President, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
(HIMSS); Tobin Van Ostern, Vice President and Co-Founder, Young
Invincible Advisors; and Paula Villescaz, Senior Consultant, Assembly
Health Committee, California State Legislature.
II. Meeting Agenda
In accordance with section 10(a) of the FACA, this notice announces
a meeting of the APOE. The agenda for the June 22, 2016 meeting will
include the following:
Welcome and listening session with CMS leadership
Recap of the previous (January 13, 2016) meeting
Affordable Care Act initiatives
An opportunity for public comment
Meeting summary, review of recommendations, and next steps
Individuals or organizations that wish to make a 5-minute oral
presentation on an agenda topic should submit a written copy of the
oral presentation to the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES section of this
notice. The number of oral presentations may be limited by the time
available. Individuals not wishing to make an oral presentation may
submit written comments to the DFO at the address listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES
section of this notice.
III. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines
This meeting will be held in a federal government building;
therefore, federal security measures are applicable. The Real ID Act,
enacted in 2005, establishes minimum standards for the issuance of
state-issued driver's licenses and identification (ID) cards. It
prohibits Federal agencies from accepting an official driver's license
or ID card from a state unless the Department of Homeland Security
determines that the state meets these standards. Beginning October
2015, photo IDs (such as a valid driver's license) issued by a state or
territory not in compliance with the Real ID Act will not be accepted
as identification to enter Federal buildings. Visitors from these
states/territories will need to provide alternative proof of
identification (such as a valid passport) to gain entrance into CMS
buildings. The current list of states from which a Federal agency may
accept driver's licenses for an official purpose is found at http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief. We recommend that confirmed
registrants arrive reasonably early, but no earlier than 45 minutes
prior to the start of the meeting, to allow additional time to clear
security. Security measures include the following:
Presentation of government issued photographic
identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard Service
personnel.
Inspection of vehicle's interior and exterior (this
includes engine and trunk inspection) at the entrance to the grounds.
Parking permits and instructions will be issued after the vehicle
inspection.
Inspection, via metal detector or other applicable means,
of all persons entering the building. We note that all items brought
into CMS, whether personal or for the purpose of presentation or to
support a presentation, are subject to inspection.
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We cannot assume responsibility for coordinating the receipt, transfer,
transport, storage, set up, safety, or timely arrival of any personal
belongings or items used for presentation or to support a presentation.
Note: Individuals who are not registered in advance will not be
permitted to enter the building and will be unable to attend the
meeting. The public may not enter the building earlier than 45 minutes
prior to the convening of the meeting.
All visitors must be escorted in areas other than the lower and
first floor levels in the Central Building.
Authority: Sec. 222 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
217a) and sec. 10(a) of Pub. L. 92-463 (5 U.S.C. App. 2, sec. 10(a)
and 41 CFR 102-3).
Dated: May 26, 2016.
Andrew M. Slavitt,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2016-13085 Filed 6-2-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P