Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
Implications of Medicaid Block Grants
States will be able to pursue new Medicaid block grants under guidance recently sent by federal regulators to state Medicaid directors. But what does that mean? In a new article, the Commonwealth Fund examines how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Medicaid block grants will work (for states that choose to pursue them; they are not mandatory), the new flexibility block grants will give states, and how the new approach will give states some relief from CMS oversight and delivery system requirements. Learn more from the Commonwealth Fund article [...]
Hundreds of Hospitals Penalized for Medical Mistakes
786 hospitals will see their Medicare payments slashed one percent for a year because of their performance under Medicare’s hospital-acquired conditions reduction program. That program penalizes the 25 percent of hospitals with the highest rate of patient safety problems, such as infections and injuries. Among the more interesting aspects of this year’s program results: Among those being penalized are seven of the 21 hospitals on the S. News “best hospitals” list. Three hospitals also on that list have never been penalized. 145 hospitals will be penalized for the first time. [...]
Not Surprisingly, Higher Medicaid Rates Improve Access
Higher Medicaid payments for substance abuse disorder treatment lead to better access to such treatment, a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office has concluded. According to the study, which focused on six states, State officials and SUD [substance abuse disorders] providers in the selected states with larger rate changes reported greater effects on SUD service availability compared to those in states with smaller changes. For example, state officials said that larger rate increases helped increase the number of SUD providers participating in Medicaid, but did not generally note [...]
CMS Introduces New Approach to Medicaid Block Grants
States would be able to convert part of their Medicaid programs into block grants under a new program introduced by the federal government. The program, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services calls “Healthy Adult Opportunity,” would encompass services only for adults under the age of 65 who are not eligible for Medicaid because of disability or the need for long-term care, services, and supports and who are not otherwise eligible for the pre-Affordable Care Act Medicaid program. Under the program, states can develop either a total expenses model [...]
Supreme Court Lifts Public Charge Rule Ban
The U.S. can now reject visa and green card applicants based on their financial prospects after a new Supreme Court ruling this week. This ruling has potential long-term implications for health care providers. Last August a new Department of Homeland Security regulation took effect that authorized the federal government to reject immigrants’ applications for visas and green cards if their financial situation and employment prospects suggested that they might become a “public charge” and dependent on government safety-net programs like Medicaid and food stamps. A number of groups sued to [...]