In This Issue:

- CMS Publishes Long-Awaited “Health Plan Innovation Initiative” RFI

- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act

- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives

- Other Congressional Initiatives

- Other Health Care News

- Upcoming Congressional Hearings and Markups

- Excerpt from CMS Publishes Long-Awaited “Health Plan Innovation Initiative” RFI:

Last Thursday, October 2nd, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking broad industry input on initiatives to test innovations in plan design, including value-based insurance design; care delivery; beneficiary and provider incentives and engagement; and network design in Medicare health plans and Medigap and Retiree Supplemental health plans. CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) officials have discussed for some time that this type of initiative is a priority for 2014 and that developing a demonstration could either provide regulatory and programmatic rule-relief for plan innovations and/or funding to help implement and evaluate various tests.