Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
CMS Proposes New Medicaid Managed Care Regulation
Just two years after a major overhaul of Medicaid managed care regulations, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is again proposing changes in how the federal government regulates the delivery of managed care services to Medicaid beneficiaries. Under the newly proposed regulation, states would: be free to implement more changes in their managed care programs without seeking federal permission; have slightly more flexibility in how supplemental payments are made to hospitals through managed care plans and implement some such changes without federal approval; be permitted to redefine what constitutes [...]
The Changing of the Congressional Health Care Guard
Last week’s elections will bring to office in January a new majority party in the House and changes in the Senate as well. Changes in leadership are coming in all of the House committees with jurisdiction over health care matters: Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Oversight and Government Reform. New leadership may be coming to the Senate Finance Committee as well. Kaiser Health News has published a look at the relevant committees, their likely new leaders, and the priorities of those new leaders. Find that report here.
Election Brings Good News for Medicaid
Medicaid came out on top in elections throughout the country last week. With the arrival of a Democratic majority in the House, attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including its Medicaid expansion, appear to have come to an end – at least for now. Voters in three states approved ballot questions to expand their states’ Medicaid programs. And two states elected governors likely to expand their states’ Medicaid programs. Learn more about what the mid-term elections meant to Medicaid and its future in this Washington Post story.
North Carolina Proposal Could be Precedent-Setting
Under a new proposal by North Carolina’s state treasurer, health care for state employees could be reimbursed based on a percentage of Medicare rates. North Carolina’s State Health Plan insures more than 700,000 state employees and public school teachers, and under the proposal, doctors, hospitals, and other providers that participate in the plan would agree to accept an as-yet unstated percentage of Medicare rates. The state treasurer estimates that this approach would save the State Health Plan $300 million a year and save plan participants another $60 million a year. [...]
CMS Releases New Home Health Regulation for 2019
A new regulation will bring changes in how Medicare pays for and regulates home health services in 2019. Included in the regulation released last week are: A 2.2 percent increase in home health payments. Creation of remote patient monitoring benefit for home health patients. Creation of a home infusion benefit. Removal of some measures from the home health quality reporting program. Changes in the home health value-based purchasing model. For a complete look at the changes coming to how Medicare will treat home health services in 2019, go here to [...]