The Trump Administration Could Make Fee-Based Doctors More Affordable for Seniors

The Trump administration could give fee-based medical practices a boost by making them more affordable for seniors, according to CNBC . Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked healthcare providers to comment on how the administration could help fund access to certain fee-based practices for Medicare beneficiaries. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has suggested possibly giving some beneficiaries a stipend to help them access fee-based practices offering more personalized care. "They can offer the opportunity for seniors to receive convenient, accessible primary care from a physician they know at a predictable and affordable cost," Azar said in a recent address to the World Health Care Congress. It remains uncertain how the administration would structure a stipend program. For the moment, it has requested input from the industry and beneficiaries. CMS will likely outline a pilot program to trial the direct primary care model in the coming months.