More than 250 organizations sent a March 8 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra condemning its rebranding of the Global and Professional Direct Contracting model.
The new model was announced by CMS Feb. 24 and is now called the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health model, or ACO REACH.
The letter — signed by organizations representing seniors, people with disabilities, consumers and health professionals — calls for an end to the new model and a rejection of the privatization of traditional Medicare.
It also alleges that ACO REACH gives third-party middlemen the power to manage seniors' care without their full understanding or consent and states that there is a lack of transparency with the program.
"Hundreds of community leaders joined forces to say: You can't fool us, we know Medicare privatization when we see it," Susan Rogers, MD, president of Physicians for a National Health Program, said in a news release. "HHS gave Direct Contracting a fresh coat of paint, but we can see right through it."