Bulletin Board
Bulletin Board
Tough Decision Looms for Rural Hospitals
Amid growing number of rural hospitals closing for financial reasons, the federal government believes it has come up with a solution to help slow those closings: a new provider type called a “Rural Emergency Hospital” that offers struggling facilities roughly $3 million a year in cash. The catch? To receive the money they must stop providing inpatient services and transfer patients who need such care to other facilities. More than 1700 rural U.S. hospitals will have the option of participating in the program, but while the money may save some [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for December 8
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of December 4-8. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act CMS has published an FAQ about implementation of good faith estimates for uninsured and self-pay patients under the No Surprises Act. In the FAQ the agency explains that it will extend enforcement discretion for situations in which good faith estimates do not include expected charges from co-providers or co-facilities. This enforcement discretion was expected to end on [...]
Before Recess, Congress Contemplates Medicaid
Before the current session of Congress comes to a close, lawmakers may consider a number of Medicaid issues. Among them: The future of Medicaid eligibility for those who enrolled in the program as a result of special provisions introduced in response to COVID-19. The process for reviewing the future eligibility of those currently enrolled in Medicaid. A movement to extend the current, temporary 12 months of postpartum Medicaid eligibility for new mothers and their newborns beyond the end of the current public health emergency. A gradual phasing out of the [...]
FEDERAL HEALTH POLICY UPDATE FOR December 1
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of November 28 to December 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. 340B HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have proposed revising the current 340B administrative dispute resolution process. Since the current process was introduced in 2020 HRSA has encountered policy and operational challenges with its implementation and now proposes revising it and is soliciting comment on its proposed new approach. Changes include changing the nature [...]
States Seek Certainty on End of PHE
The country’s states want a clearer idea of when the official COVID-19 public health emergency will end – and along with it, the continuous Medicaid eligibility that remains a major component of the federal attempt to ensure health care coverage for millions of Americans during the pandemic. Even though two administrations have now regularly renewed the PHE for three-month periods and the current administration has promised governors 60 days’ notice of when the PHE will end, the nation’s Medicaid directors have written to congressional leaders asking for Congress to “…provide [...]