Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
Medicaid Work Requirements on the Way Out?
Medicaid work requirements appear to be going away in the wake of the Supreme Court agreeing to a Biden administration request to postpone arguments in a case brought by the Trump administration seeking to reverse previous court rulings blocking implementation of such requirements. To date, 12 states have received federal approval to implement Medicaid work requirements although only one such effort, in Arkansas, ever got off the ground. All of the efforts eventually stalled in the face of legal challenges and administrative obstacles. Upon taking office, the Biden administration informed [...]
2019 Change in Public Charge Rule to Disappear
Shortly after taking office the Biden administration stopped enforcing 2019 changes in the so-called public charge rule and now the Supreme Court has agreed to a Justice Department request to dismiss an upcoming case challenging that rule. The public charge rule, as updated in 2019, calls for all legal immigrants enrolled in Medicaid and certain other safety-net programs to be designated public charges and denied access to permanent U.S. residency and green card status. Hospitals feared that the revised rule would have a chilling effect on the willingness of some [...]
Coronavirus Update for Friday, March 12
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12. White House President Biden announced his administration’s objective of making every American eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1. See a fact sheet about the announcement. The White House has posted a transcript of the March 12 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. President Biden will nominate Melanie Egorin to serve as HHS’s Assistant Secretary for Legislation. Department of Health and Human Services HHS [...]
Coronavirus Update for Thursday, March 11
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 11. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 10 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its guidance on nursing home visitation, easing current restrictions. According to the updated guidance, facilities should permit responsible indoor visitation at all times and for all residents, regardless of vaccination status of the resident or visitor, except under [...]
Too Many Medicare APMs?
MedPAC thinks maybe that’s the case. At the recent meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the agency’s commissioners suggested that they may recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduce its assortment of alternative payment model programs. As reported by MedPage Today, a draft of MedPAC’s June report to Congress states that The [Health and Human Services] Secretary should implement a more coordinated portfolio of fewer alternative payment models (APMs) that support the strategic objectives of reducing spending and improving quality. In recent years CMS’s Center for [...]