Extracted Text (may have errors)

not covered by Medicare, pursue delivery system reforms, make adjustments to offset geographic variations and adjust rates as necessary to assure competitiveness with Exchange-participating plans or for excessive or deficient payments. Medicare providers are presumed to also be participating in the public option unless they opt out. There are no penalties for opting out. The Secretary also has authority to negotiate prescription drug prices for the public option. Sec. 224. Modernized payment initiatives and delivery system reform. The Secretary is empowered to move forward with delivery system reforms to change the way the public option pays for medical services to promote better quality and more efficient use of medical care. Such payment changes must seek to reduce cost for enrollees, improve health outcomes, reduce health disparities, address geographic variation in the provision of medical services, prevent or manage chronic illnesses, and r promote integrated patient-centered care. Sec. 225. Provider participation. Provides the Secretary of HHS with the authority to develop conditions of participation for the public health insurance option. Providers must be licensed in the state in which they do business. Physician participation comes in two types: preferred physicians are those physicians who agree to accept the public option‘s payment rate (without regard to cost-sharing) as payment in full; participating non-preferred physicians are those who agree not to impose charges in excess of the balance billing limitations in Medicare. Providers must be excluded from participating in the public option if they are excluded from other federal health programs. Sec. 226. Application of fraud and abuse provisions. Applies Medicare‘s anti-fraud and abuse protections to the public health insurance option. 14