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Federal Health Policy Update for March 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 8-14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The Biden administration this week released its proposed FY 2025 federal budget. Health care highlights include: Making permanent the expanded health care premium tax credits introduced to make health insurance marketplace plans more affordable for middle-class Americans. Extension of coverage similar to Medicaid to residents of the 10 states that have not taken advantage of the Affordable Care Act opportunity [...]

MACPAC Meets

Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met publicly last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of its meeting. The March 2024 MACPAC meeting began with proposed recommendations on improving the transparency of Medicaid financing. The proposed recommendations are intended to improve the transparency of Medicaid financing methods, state-level financing amounts, and provider-level financing amounts. The presentation also included a recommendation to apply the proposed Medicaid financing transparency requirements to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Staff reviewed the rationale for the recommendations and [...]

March 14, 2024|Categories: MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicaid regulations for the disabled|Tags: Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid and coverage and care for children and youth with special health care needs, Medicaid and physician-administered drugs, Medicaid financing, Medicaid home and community based services, Medicare Savings Program, state Medicaid financing|

MedPAC Meets

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met publicly last week in Washington, D.C. Their agenda consisted of the following issues: Rural hospital and clinician payment policy: A workplan for 2024–2025 Assessing data sources for measuring health care utilization by Medicare Advantage enrollees: Encounter data and other sources Preliminary analysis of Medicare Advantage quality Medicare’s Acute Hospital Care at Home program Update on trends and issues in Medicare inpatient psychiatric services Go here for a brief overview of each agenda item and links to the staff presentations on those issues [...]

March 14, 2024|Categories: Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|Tags: Medicare, Medicare Acute Hospital at Home program, Medicare Advantage, Medicare and inpatient psychiatric services, Medicare and rural hospitals, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Medicare reimbursement, MedPAC|

Rural Hospitals Losing Money, Slashing Services, Mulling Future

Roughly half of rural hospitals lost money last year, according to a new report. Those struggles, moreover, are not a one-time thing: more than 40 percent were in the same position a year ago and more such hospitals are expected to be in this position a year from now. The problem is worse, moreover, for hospitals in states that did not take advantage of the Affordable Care Act option of expanding their Medicaid programs. In response to these challenges, some rural hospitals are discontinuing services like obstetrics – a serious [...]

March 13, 2024|Categories: hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare|Tags: Rural Emergency Hospital, Rural hospitals|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 1-7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress On Wednesday, March 16 the House passed, by a vote of 339-85, the first package of spending bills to fund some federal agencies through the remainder of the 2024 federal fiscal year. The House bills include several health care provisions extending programs that were set to expire on Friday, March 8. The bills would extend the following provisions and programs through December [...]

March 7, 2024|Categories: Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|Tags: AHRQ News Now, Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model, Change Healthcare, Change Healthcare cyberattack, Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, graduate medical education, HRSA eNews, ICD-10, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare Payment Advisory Commissions, Medicare physician fee schedule, Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, Medicare site-neutral outpatient payments, Medicare stay of enrollment, Medicare-dependent hospitals, MedPAC, MLN Connects, Rural Opioid Treatment and Recovery Initiative|

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