Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
States Looking to Swap Medicaid Taxes
With Medicaid provider taxes on the road to oblivion as a result of passage of last year’s H.R. 1, often referred to as “The One Big Beautiful Act Law,” a number of states are looking to Medicaid managed care plan taxes to replace at least some of the tax revenue they will lose from the demise of Medicaid provider taxes. Iowa has already adopted such a tax, more than tripling its Medicaid managed care plan tax in the middle of its fiscal year. The state even increased taxes on managed [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for April 3
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 27 to April 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Proposed and Final CMS Medicare Regulations Proposed FY 2027 Medicare Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities Payment Rule CMS has published a proposed rule updating Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) under its IRF prospective payment system and updating the IRF quality reporting program for FY 2027. CMS proposes updating FY 2027 IRF rates by 2.4 percent based on [...]
Hospitals Sue Over Medicare DSH Payments
More than 100 hospitals have sued the Department of Health and Human Services, arguing that the manner in which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services calculates their Medicare disproportionate share payments shortchanges hospitals that care for especially large numbers of low-income patients – the very hospitals Medicare DSH payments were created to help. According to the hospitals, CMS’s Medicare DSH payment methodology undercounts the number of low-income patients hospitals serve, thereby reducing the Medicare DSH payments yielded under the Medicare DSH payment calculation formula adopted in 2023. Learn more [...]
No More Hospital Jello?
The days of enjoying a heaping bowl of jello while stuck in a hospital bed may soon become a thing of the past. In a new directive to hospitals, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has told hospitals that they need to do a better job of meeting their patients’ nutrition needs and “…to align food service with the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods and adequate protein while limiting ultra-processed foods and added sugars.” The CMS memo to hospitals offers the following guidelines: Limiting [...]
Medicare Increases Emphasis on Behavioral Health
Medicare policy is evolving to encourage providers to take a more active role in addressing the behavioral health needs of their patients. In traditional Medicare, new payment codes encourage practitioners to spend more time identifying and helping patients with their behavioral health challenges. Meanwhile, CMS and its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation have introduced several new care and payment models that place a greater emphasis on beneficiaries’ behavioral health needs. Among them: The LEAD (Long-Term Enhanced ACO Design) Model, which seeks to include more behavioral health providers and encourages [...]