Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
Earmarks are Back and Hospitals are Lining Up for Them
After an absence of 10 years federal earmarks are back and hospitals and health systems are asking their members of Congress for funding for equipment, facility improvements, expansion, and more. Each member of Congress may submit requests for up to ten earmarks, and the House Appropriations Committee has released the requests made of it by House members on behalf of their constituents. All told, Congress plans to spend $14 billion on earmarked projects, with only non-profit entities eligible to receive them. Among the requests released by the House Appropriations Committee [...]