Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, December 6
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, December 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has published a plan outlining the steps the administration will take to combat the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 in the coming months. The major components of this plan are boosters for all adults, vaccinations for children, expanded free home testing, stronger public health protocols for international travel, workplace protections, rapid [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, December 1
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Omicron Variant The CDC has confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 omicron variant on U.S. soil. Learn more from this CDC news release. Health Care Employee Vaccine Mandate COVID-19 A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the federal government’s requirement that health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccines by December 6. Find the court’s [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, November 23
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has posted a transcript of the November 22 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials. Go here for the slides presented during that meeting. Provider Relief Fund HHS announced that it has begun distributing $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan rural payments to providers and suppliers that serve [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, November 19
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, November 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress On Friday the House passed a $1.7 trillion social spending bill, H.R. 5376 - Build Back Better Act, with no Republican votes and all but one Democratic vote. The Congressional Budget Office score indicates that the health care policies in the bill are paid for by cuts in other health care programs. The bill includes nearly $300 [...]
MedPAC Looks at Outpatient Payments
The question of whether Medicare should pay different rates for outpatient services delivered in different types of settings was very much on the minds of Medicare Payment Advisory Commission members during their public meetings last week. The issue has been around for a while: are there valid reasons for some facilities to be paid more for certain outpatient services than other facilities? Or should the payment rate for a given service be the same regardless of where that service is delivered? Does the site of the service matter – or [...]