To: Retirees or Future Retirees
Date: November 2022

The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) announced on February 24, 2022, it would change  Medicare’s Direct Contracting Entities (DCEs) on January 1, 2023, to the Accountable Care Organization  Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health (ACO REACH) Model. Since the announcement, the  American Retirees Education Foundation (AREF) has been doing research into what ACO REACH will mean  to enrollees in original Medicare and Medicare Advantage and the cost to taxpayers. 

 AREF’s research has developed a preliminary analysis of the evolution of CMS Innovations and trials from  the 2012 Accountable Care Organization (ACO 1) to ACO NextGen in 2016 and then from 2019 – 2022 DCEs, Medicare Geographic Contracting (GEO), DCE Global, DCE Professional, DCE Global and Professional.   AREF is comparing what is currently known about the upcoming 2023 ACO REACH business structure and rules with Medicare Advantage (MA) to identify, if possible, improvements in ACO REACH.   Concern has been expressed to CMS that managing three venues, original Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS),  MA and ACO REACH, is inviting a major communications and control problems. We recommended adding  portal(s) with hyperlinks on the Medicare.gov website for official communications for enrollees and stakeholder  organizations. The portal(s) would serve to share solutions, resolutions, examples, rules, etc. Primarily, make it  clear to all stakeholders that only CMS will communicate federal policy.  

 While the AREF’s research provides some significant insights into how ACO REACH will impact original  Medicare and MA, a request has been made to CMS to provide all ACO REACH details ASAP so the AREF  can compare its rules with MA and offer improvement suggestions. Although unpublished information on the ACO REACH model will delay AREF’s final analysis, AREF will publish its initial 2022 review soon.  While much time and effort has gone into researching ACO REACH the AREF has in 2022: • Updated the 2022 Legislative Agenda 

  • Updated three times the white paper on Medicare Advantage. 
  • Updated twice the white paper on Reducing Prescription Drug Costs. 
  • Developed proposal to improve pension plan Annual Funding Notices that is in a Senate bill. You can support the AREF’s work by sending a check of $50 or more or whatever you can afford. Your check should be payable to AREF and mailed this form in the provided envelope to AREF, P.O. Box 65001,  Baltimore, MD 21264-5001. Or donate by credit card or PayPal at www.arefseniors.org. Click on the  “Donate” tab at the top of the website.  

You can support the AREF’s work by sending a check of $50 or more or whatever you can afford. Your  check should be payable to AREF and mailed this form in the provided envelope to AREF, P.O. Box 65001,  Baltimore, MD 21264-5001.

Or  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW:

SUPPORT THE AREF

Bill Kadereit,
AREF Chairman and
President and NRLN President