Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
COVID Drives Major Increase in PA Medicaid Enrollment
Medicaid enrollment in Pennsylvania has risen nearly 14 percent in the past year as rising unemployment resulting from COVID-19 drives people to turn to the state for health insurance. As a result, Pennsylvania has added nearly 400,000 people to its Medicaid rolls in the past year. Today, 3.2 million Pennsylvanians are enrolled in the state’s program, although among them are approximately 250,000 who would have been dropped from the program except for a federal requirement that the state not drop people from the program in exchange for a major increase [...]
Earmarks Expected to Return
After a ten-year absence, congressional earmarks appear to be on their way back. Earmarks – special budget items chosen by members of Congress specifically for their districts – were banned in 2011 but now, members of the House have voted to revive them, citing the oft-used rationale that members of Congress are more qualified to choose projects for their districts than federal bureaucrats. In addition, it is widely thought that earmarks can help build bipartisan support for challenging legislation. Amid concern about the possibility of increasing federal spending at a [...]
Coronavirus Update for Friday, March 19
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 17 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. During the briefing, White House officials noted that under to the American Rescue Plan (the COVID-19 relief bill), the federal government will now cover 100 percent of the cost for Medicaid and children’s health insurance beneficiaries to get vaccinated. Provider Relief Fund The “reporting requirements and [...]
MedPAC: Go Slow on Expanding Medicare Telehealth
MedPAC wants Medicare to test the impact of telehealth on health care under non-COVID-19 conditions before moving forward with expanding the tool’s use in the Medicare population. In a news release accompanying its recently released annual report to Congress on Medicare payment policy, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission writes that In the report, we present a policy option for expanded coverage for Medicare telehealth policy after the PHE is over. Under the policy option, policymakers should temporarily continue some of the telehealth expansions for a limited duration of time (e.g., [...]
MedPAC Offers 2022 Rate Recommendations
MedPAC has recommended modest pay increases for some health care providers and no increases for others in its annual report on Medicare payment policy to Congress. In the report, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends the following changes in Medicare rates for 2022: 2% increase for Medicare inpatient and outpatient services 2% increase for long-term-care hospitals no increase for doctors and other medical professionals no increases for ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient dialysis facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and hospices 5% reductions for home health agencies and inpatient rehabilitation facilities While MedPAC’s [...]