Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
Impact of H-1B Visa Fee on Hospitals in Underserved and Rural Areas
The new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas is expected to detract from the ability of providers in low-income and rural areas to serve their communities. Providers – especially hospitals – in such areas typically operate on very low margins and always have trouble recruiting physicians and other highly skilled providers and often turn to international medical graduates in search of help. In fact, a 2021 study published by the National Institutes of Health reported that nearly two-thirds of international medical graduates practiced in areas designated as health professional shortage areas [...]
The Struggle to Help Prove Medicaid Eligibility
With new Medicaid work rules scheduled to take effect in 42 states by the end of 2026, policymakers are working to find new, better ways to enable Medicaid applicants to demonstrate that they are meeting Medicaid work and community engagement requirements. While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has set aside $200 million to pursue technology solutions for this problem, such efforts, at least so far, have not proven successful. In a test in Louisiana, for example, state officials sent text messages to 13,000 Medicaid enrollees, asking them to [...]
Lack of Confidence Spawns MMWR Alternative
Citing a growing lack of confidence in federal public health reporting, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy are creating a private sector alternative to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s long-running Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). To be launched in the next month or so, the two organizations will begin publishing what they call “public health alerts” that will be available for free, and published as needed, in a new section of the NEJM Evidence. In creating the new [...]
Senate Committee Looks at 340B
Last week the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on the 340B Drug Pricing Program to discuss its growth and impact on patients. Among other subjects, the committee reviewed the importance of the 340B program; the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ rebate program that begins in January; potential transparency reforms; ensuring that 340B entities do not receive duplicate drug discounts; revising the definition of a patient for a covered entity; and reforms involving the use of contract pharmacies. Representatives from the Government Accountability Office, Congressional Budget Office (CBO), UCLA [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for October 23
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for October 17 - 23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Please note that most HHS and other health care-related agencies have indicated that they will not be announcing new policies, publishing proposed regulations, or updating their web sites during the current federal government shutdown. Congress and the Shutdown The Senate postponed its 13th vote on the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), scheduled for today; without bipartisan negotiations on Affordable Care Act enhanced [...]