Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
“Rural Emergency Hospital” Designation Making a Difference for Some Communities
The new (since 2023) classification of some hospitals as “Rural Emergency Hospitals” is proving to be an effective tool for preserving access to care in some rural communities. The program, introduced to help stem the closure of rural hospitals, which was leaving many communities without reasonable access to care, appears to be having the desired effect. Among the benefits reported by the administrators of such hospitals – which must apply for this special federal designation – are preservation of access to emergency and outpatient services, including surgery, laboratory, imaging, and [...]
CMS Lays Out Medicaid Eligibility Redeterminations
More than eight months after passage of HR 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has provided formal guidance to the states on how to redetermine Medicaid eligibility for certain Medicaid beneficiaries – a major part of the bill’s health care changes. Under that law, states must redetermine affected individuals’ continued Medicaid eligibility every six months beginning with renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027. CMS is giving states two options for redetermining Medicaid eligibility. They may: move an individual’s previously set 2027 renewal [...]
CMS Will Continue Rolling Out Mandatory Models
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation intend to continue developing and introducing mandatory Medicare models with an emphasis on driving more value-based care. That is the message delivered by CMS administrator Mehmet Oz and CMMI director Abe Sutton during a recent conference. While the track record of CMMI’s models – both voluntary and mandatory – is not great, policymakers believe they remain the best way for government to continue encouraging health care providers to focus more on the delivery of value-based [...]
New Group Targets Hospitals
Insurance interests have joined forces to create a new group that is targeting hospitals and blaming them for rising health care costs. The group, called “Hospital Watch,” was formed last month and describes itself as … a watchdog group dedicated to shining a light on corporate hospitals as the top culprit in driving up U.S. healthcare costs – exposing corporate hospitals’ monopolistic practices in price gouging patients with excessive markups and hidden fees with no transparency while forcing patients and employers to pay more for their care. Hospital Watch is [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for March 5
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 27-March 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a full committee markup of nine bills addressing cybersecurity and digital safety. See that list here. Also on Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee conducted a hearing titled “Transforming Health Care with Data: Improving Patient Outcomes Through Next-Generation Care.” Find video of the hearing here. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expressed interest in passing [...]