Medicare Program; July 22, 1999, Meeting of the Competitive Pricing Advisory Committee and the Area Advisory Committee for the Kansas City Metropolitan Area

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

[HCFA-1082-N]

Medicare Program; July 22, 1999, Meeting of the Competitive

Pricing Advisory Committee and the Area Advisory Committee for the

Kansas City Metropolitan Area

AGENCY: Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, this notice announces a meeting of the Competitive

Pricing Advisory Committee (the CPAC) and the Area Advisory Committee

(AAC) for the Kansas City metropolitan area on July 22, 1999. The CPAC

and the Kansas City metropolitan area AAC will meet both independently

and in a joint session.

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) requires the Secretary of the

Department of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish a

demonstration project under which payments to Medicare+Choice

organizations in designated areas are determined in accordance with a

competitive pricing methodology. The BBA requires the Secretary to

create the CPAC to make recommendations on demonstration area

designation and appropriate research designs for the project. The BBA

also requires the Secretary to appoint AACs in the demonstration sites

to advise on the implementation of the project. CPAC and AAC meetings

are open to the public.

DATES: The CPAC is scheduled to meet on July 22, 1999, from 10 a.m.

until 4 p.m., c.d.s.t. The Kansas City metropolitan area AAC is

scheduled to meet on July 22, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Both

committees will meet together in a joint session from 12 noon until 4

p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Kansas City Airport

Marriott, 775 Brasilia, Kansas City, MO, 64153, (816) 464-2200.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharon Arnold, Ph.D., Executive

Director, Competitive Pricing Advisory Committee, Health Care Financing

Administration, 7500 Security Boulevard C4-14-17, Baltimore, MD 21244-

1850, (410) 786-6451 (for information about the CPAC). Richard P.

Brummel, Deputy Regional Administrator, Health Care Financing

Administration, Richard Bolling Federal Building, Room 235, 601 East

12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106, (816) 426-5233 (for information

about the Kansas City metropolitan area AAC).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4011 of the Balanced Budget Act of

1997 (BBA) (Pub. L. 105-33), requires the Secretary of the Department

of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish a

demonstration project under which payments to Medicare+Choice

organizations in designated areas are determined in accordance with a

competitive pricing methodology. Section 4012(a) of the BBA requires

the Secretary to appoint a Competitive Pricing Advisory Committee (the

CPAC) to meet periodically and make recommendations to the Secretary

concerning the designation of areas for inclusion in the project and

appropriate research designs for implementing the project. The CPAC has

previously met on May 7, 1998, June 24 and 25, 1998, September 23 and

24, 1998, October 28, 1998, January 6, 1999, and May 13, 1999.

The CPAC consists of 15 individuals who are independent actuaries,

experts in competitive pricing and the administration of the Federal

Employees Health Benefit Program, representatives of health plans,

insurers, employers, unions, and beneficiaries. The CPAC members are:

James Cubbin, Executive Director, General Motors Health Care

Initiative; Robert Berenson, M.D., Director, Center for Health Plans

and Providers, Health Care Financing Administration; John Bertko,

Actuary Principal, Reden & Anders, Ltd.; Dave Durenberger, Vice

President, Public Policy Partners; Gary Goldstein, M.D., former CEO,

The Oschner Clinic; Samuel Havens, Healthcare Consultant and Chairman

of Health Scope/United; Margaret Jordan, President and CEO, The

Margaret Jordan Group; Chip Kahn, President, The Health Insurance

Association of America; Cleve Killingsworth, President, Health Alliance

Plan; Nancy Kichak, Director, Office of Actuaries, Office of Personnel

Management; Len Nichols, Principal Research Associate, The Urban

Institute; Robert Reischauer, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution;

John Rother, Director, Legislation and Public Policy, American

Association of Retired Persons; Andrew Stern, President, Service

Employees International Union, AFL-CIO; and Jay Wolfson, Director,

Florida Health Information Center, University of South Florida. The

chairperson of the CPAC is James Cubbin and the co-chairperson is

Robert Berenson, M.D. In accordance with section 4012(a)(5) of the BBA,

the CPAC will terminate on December 31, 2004.

Section 4012(b) of the BBA requires the Secretary to appoint an

Area Advisory Committee (AAC) in each demonstration site to advise the

Secretary on the implementation of the project. The CPAC has designated

the Kansas City metropolitan area and Maricopa County in Arizona as the

initial demonstration sites. The Kansas City metropolitan area AAC has

previously met on March 26, 1999, April 8, 1999, April 22, 1999, and

May 12, 1999. The Maricopa County AAC has previously met on March 31,

1999, April 20, 1999, May 18 and 19, 1999, and June 7 and 8, 1999.

Additional meetings for the Maricopa County AAC are scheduled for June

30 and July 1, 1999.

The Kansas City metropolitan area AAC consists of 17 members who

represent health plans, providers, and Medicare beneficiaries. The

members of the Kansas City metropolitan area AAC are: E.J. Holland,

Jr., Assistant Vice President for Corporate Benefits, Sprint; Robert

Bonney, Vice President, Managed Care, St. Luke's Shawnee Mission PHO;

Hazel Borders, beneficiary; Richard Brown, President and CEO, Health

Midwest; Cynthia Finter, President and Executive Director, Kaiser

Permanente, Kansas City Region; Tresia Franklin, Director of Benefits

Administration, Hallmark Cards, Inc.; Alan Freeman, CEO, Cass Medical

Center; Herman Johnson, beneficiary, John Kennedy, Senior Vice

President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City; Mike Oxford,

Executive Director, Topeka Independent Living Resource Center; Jean

Rumbaugh, Vice President, Government Programs, HealthNet; Kathleen

Sebelius, Kansas Insurance Commissioner; Zarina Shockley-Sparling,

Executive Director, Humana, Inc.; Jan Stallmeyer, R.N., President,

Principal Health Care of Kansas City, Inc.; Charles Van Way III,

[[Page 36696]]

M.D., Metropolitan Medical Society; Barry Wilkinson, President

(retired), Heavy Construction Workers Labor Local 663; and Esther Wolf,

Associate, School of Social Welfare, University of Missouri at Kansas

City. The chairperson of the Kansas City metropolitan area AAC is E.J.

Holland, Jr.

The agendas for the July 22, 1999, meetings will include the

following:

The CPAC will meet to review the status and any pending

issues from the Maricopa County AAC and Kansas City metropolitan area

AAC, as well as review preliminary information on future demonstration

site selection.

The Kansas City metropolitan area AAC will discuss and

develop a communication and outreach plan for Kansas City beneficiaries

and providers, discuss and decide how to measure potential disruption

in the Kansas City market due to competitive pricing, and discuss and

decide a schedule for implementation of the demonstration.

In a joint session from 12 noon to 4 p.m., the CPAC and

the Kansas City metropolitan area AAC will meet to discuss and decide

how to measure possible beneficiary disruption in the Kansas City

market due to competitive pricing.

Individuals or organizations that wish to make 5-minute oral

presentations on the CPAC agenda issues should contact Sharon Arnold,

CPAC Executive Director, by 12 noon, July 15, 1999, to be scheduled. A

written copy of the oral remarks should be submitted to the executive

director no later than 12 noon, July 15, 1999. Anyone who is not

scheduled to speak may submit written comments to the executive

director by 12 noon, July 17, 1999.

Individuals or organizations that wish to make 5-minute oral

presentations on the Kansas City metropolitan area AAC agenda issues

should contact Richard Brummel, Kansas City Deputy Regional

Administrator, by 12 noon, July 15, 1999, to be scheduled. A written

copy of the oral remarks should be submitted to the Kansas City Deputy

Regional Administrator no later than 12 noon, July 15, 1999. Anyone who

is not scheduled to speak may submit written comments to the Kansas

City Deputy Regional Administrator by 12 noon, July 17, 1999.

The number of oral presentations may be limited by the time

available. This meeting is open to the public, but attendance is

limited to the space available.

(Sec. 4012 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Pub. L. 105-33 (42

U.S.C.1395w-23 note) and section 10(a) of Public Law 92-463 (5

U.S.C. App.2, section 10(a))

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773,

Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare--

Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)

Dated: June 30, 1999.

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle,

Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-17161 Filed 7-6-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4120-01-P