iqtsupport, Author at DeBrunner & Associates

Low Payments Aren’t Only Factor Keeping Docs Away From Medicaid

It has long been assumed that low payments are the primary reason doctors choose not to serve Medicaid patients. It now appears, though, that there may be another, no-less important reason: challenges associated with billing Medicaid. A new study found that doctors struggle to do business with Medicaid more than they do with other insurers. According to the study, doctors reported that 19 percent of the initial claims they submit for caring for Medicaid patients are not paid in full – more than twice as often as they experience that problem with Medicare and nearly four times more often than [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-10T13:00:23-04:00June 10, 2021|Medicaid|

New Health Care Leaders Share Priorities

New leaders at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation are quickly making their priorities known to health care industry stakeholders. For new CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, her priority is coverage. She has declared that “Our focus is going to be on making sure regulations and policies are going to be focused on improving coverage,” and while she hopes that states that have not yet expanded their Medicaid programs will take advantage of current federal incentives to do so, there is another path to coverage: “…the public option or other coverage certainly [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-10T06:00:44-04:00June 10, 2021|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid|

Health Policy Update for Tuesday, June 8

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House Health Policy News The White House, HHS, HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the FDA have announced a series of policy recommendations to address vulnerabilities in U.S. pharmaceutical supply chains. Under one of these recommendations, HHS, under the Defense Production Act and building on current public-private partnerships, will establish a public-private consortium for advanced domestic manufacturing of essential medicines production. The [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-08T17:24:26-04:00June 8, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations|

Medicaid Enrollment Continues to Rise

Medicaid enrollment in 36 states rose 17.7 percent from February 2020 to March 2021. Leading the way were two Medicaid expansion states, Utah and Nebraska, which saw their Medicaid enrollment increase 37.6 percent and 30.9 percent, respectively.Other states with major increases in Medicaid enrollment were Missouri (26.5 percent), Illinois (26.3 percent), and Indiana (25.7 percent). The increases appear to have been driven by pandemic-related job losses and the accompanying economic downturn. Learn more about where and why Medicaid enrollment is rising from the article “What is Happening With Medicaid Enrollment in Q1 of 2021?” on the web site of the [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-08T06:00:02-04:00June 8, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, June 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House Health Policy News Late last week the Biden administration released its proposed FY 2022 budget. Most of the health care provisions had already been disclosed and discussed prior to the formal budget release. For additional information about the proposed budget, see the following resources: A budget in brief document. An OMB summary. An OMB budget fact sheet. COVID-19 President Biden announced a “National Month of Action” [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-03T17:30:36-04:00June 3, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Medicare Beneficiaries Happier With Their Health Insurance Than Privately Insured

People who are enrolled in Medicare are happier with their health insurance than those with private health insurance, according to a recent JAMA report. Researchers found that the privately insured had a more difficult time finding doctors, were less likely to have a personal physician, had to deal with higher medical costs, were more likely to have medical debt, were more likely not to fill prescriptions because of their cost, and were less satisfied with their care than people insured by Medicare. The findings were true whether people purchased their own health insurance or had employer-sponsored insurance. Learn more about [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-03T06:00:26-04:00June 3, 2021|Medicaid, Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, May 25

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a transcript of the May 21 press briefing by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services COVID-19 CMS has updated its list of blanket waivers issued in response to the COVID-19 emergency with an updated question explaining that the agency is extending the submission deadline for new and existing Medicare graduate medical [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-25T17:07:24-04:00May 25, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Is Telehealth Too Expensive To Keep?

That’s the question Congress is asking these days. While health care interests and consumers are almost unanimous in their enthusiasm for telehealth, Congress is questioning whether telehealth is too expensive to preserve after the threat of COVID-19 passes. Prior to the pandemic, Medicare mostly limited the use of telehealth to rural areas where access to providers is limited. Once the public health emergency became serious Medicare waived many of its limits on the use of telehealth so that elderly patients could stay in touch with their doctors. On the whole, patients have viewed telehealth favorably and providers are very enthusiastic [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-25T06:00:16-04:00May 25, 2021|Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Cost-Sharing Drives Medicaid Disenrollment

Cost-sharing requirements appear to lead people to disenroll from Medicaid programs that impose such requirements, according to a new study. Those disenrolling are likely to be healthier in general than those who choose to remain enrolled in Medicaid despite cost-sharing requirements. This is among the findings in a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research of Michigan’s Medicaid program, which was one of the first in the country to be authorized to require certain beneficiaries to share in their medical costs. Such disenrollments also may lead to adverse selection among health care plans that serve Medicaid patients.Learn more about [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-21T06:00:23-04:00May 21, 2021|Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, May 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. NASH Advocacy NASH has written to all members of Congress urging them to contact Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about directing more of its remaining CARES Act Provider Relief Fund money to private safety-net hospitals to help them serve their diverse, predominantly low-income communities during the COVID-19 emergency. Go here to see NASH’s message to Congress. The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-19T18:01:19-04:00May 19, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, hospitals, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

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