MVHCA advocates for universal health care. Everybody in! Nobody out!

Universal health care rally at Benton County Courthouse

Health care for all Oregon

Drug prices are off the charts. Premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket fees are bankrupting Americans. To top it off, our health outcomes, on average, are worse than many other developed countries.

Publicly funded universal health care:
• Lowers health care costs
• Delivers high-quality care to all
• Builds healthier communities

Let’s be advocates for universal health care!

Current Events in Oregon

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING A LETTER YOU MAY RECEIVE FROM SAMARITAN HEALTH SERVICES AND CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES

Dear Advocate,

MVHCA has received numerous communications from members recently receiving a package or email from CMS (Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services), Samaritan, and Belong Health. 

Many members are confused and concerned about this communication. Some are experiencing difficulty getting answers through the 1-800 number provided in the letter.

MVHCA has performed some research about Belong Health and what the letter is asking you to do. We’ve included some basic information below and will be publishing an in-depth Q&A regarding Belong Health on our website in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we have confirmed that there will be no negative consequences if you ignore the letters until you have time to learn more. You can still see your Samaritan providers, and your Medicare benefits will not be affected.

Essentially, the letter asks Traditional Medicare beneficiaries to confirm a primary care relationship with Samaritan so that CMS can add them to the Samaritan Belong Health roster. Such action is termed “voluntary alignment”. In the coming weeks, CMS will also automatically assign some Samaritan patients to the Samaritan Belong Health roster based on past claims received from Samaritan. Such an action is termed “retrospective attribution.”

Once a Traditional Medicare beneficiary is aligned with Belong Health, Medicare will begin paying Belong Health a monthly fee (referred to as “capitation”) for that beneficiary rather than paying individual claims directly to Samaritan when the beneficiary receives primary care. Belong Health, in turn, makes a monthly payment to Samaritan for each aligned beneficiary and provides additional funding for care coordination services.    

Belong Health is a private, for-profit ACO (Accountable Care Organization) founded in 2021. According to a February 2022 testimony by Dr. Susan Rogers of Physicians for a National Health Program, an ACO “…may spend as little as 60% on patient care, keeping the other 40% as profit and overhead,” while Traditional Medicare spends up to 98% of its funds on care. Because Belong Health is a private company, we cannot know how much Medicare money the ACO is spending on administrative expenses and marketing or how much it is diverting to its investors. (New Enterprise Associates and Maverick Ventures – both global venture capital firms investing in technology and healthcare – own Belong Health.)

If you have already clicked on the link in the email, sent in the form, or are involuntarily aligned with Belong Health in the upcoming months, you may be able to opt out of the alignment while maintaining your relationship with your primary care provider. Samaritan is putting together a more specific document about opting in and opting out. In the meantime, if you have other specific questions about your relationship with Samaritan and Belong Health, Samaritan’s website suggests that you “…ask your health care provider or their office, call Belong Health ACO at 800-862-0608, or call Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227). TTY users should call 877-486-2048.”

Feel free to communicate with MVHCA regarding your general questions, concerns, and experiences regarding the ACO program. We will keep you informed as we learn more.

Sincerely,

MVHCA Board of Directors

Mid-Valley Board Member speaking at the Linn County Courthouse

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Supporters of universal health care at the Corvallis Farmer's Market

Support Oregon universal health care

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Meet the Board

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Universal health care advocates at a Benton County Courthouse rally

Join an upcoming Mid-Valley event

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Health care advocates in Albany, Oregon

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Universal health care activist in Corvallis Oregon

Member Area

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“We will win, if you and everyone else in this movement gives of their precious time and energy.”

— Betty Johnson, MVHCA Founder

Contact Us

Feel free to contact us. We love to answer your questions!

Email
contact@mvhca.org

Address

Mid-Valley Health Care Advocates

P.O. Box 242

Corvallis, OR, 97339