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Paxlovid Will Soon Cost Patients

Free Paxlovid treatment for COVID-19 will soon be a thing of the past for many people because in the coming months the federal government plans to stop paying for the drug for everyone who needs it. Nearly six million Americans so far have taken Paxlovid after being diagnosed with COVID, but by the middle of 2023 the federal government is expected to stop footing the bill. Currently, it pays $530 a dose – a discounted price. When that happens the drug may become far less accessible. Because Paxlovid is only [...]

Federal Health Policy Update for December 15

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of December 12-15. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has unveiled its “COVID-19 Winter Preparedness Plan,” the major components of which are expanding easy access to free COVID-19 testing options in the winter; making vaccinations and treatments readily available as cases rise; preparing personnel and resources; and focusing on protecting the highest-risk Americans. Learn more about the plan from this White House fact sheet [...]

December 15, 2022|Categories: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare cuts, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|Tags: 2024 notice of benefit and payment parameters proposed rule, COVID-19 winter preparedness plan, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share payments, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid-Medicare dual eligibles, Medicare Advantage, Medicare hospital payments, Medicare inpatient payment prospective payment system, Medicare outpatient prospective payment system, Medicare Part D, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Medicare physician fee schedule, Medicare rehabilitation hospital payments, Medicare skilled nursing facility payments, MedPAC, MLN Connects, No Surprises Act, no surprises act independent dispute resolution, provider relief fund, SAMHSA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration|

MACPAC Meets

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met for two days last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of the sessions. The December 2022 MACPAC meeting began with a Commission discussion on two potential recommendations for improving Medicaid race and ethnicity data reporting. As part of its commitment to prioritizing health equity in all of its work, the Commission is focused on how to improve Medicaid race and ethnicity data collection and reporting. In October, staff presented findings from a literature review and key stakeholder [...]

COVID Flexibilities Apply to RSV, Flu, HHS Secretary Tells Governors

The same flexibilities that the federal government established to help states respond to the COVID-19 emergency can be used to respond to the current RSV and flu challenges, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has written to the nation’s governors. According to the Becerra letter, … the Administration has exercised regulatory flexibilities to help health care providers and suppliers continue to respond to COVID-19. These flexibilities – while critical in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic – can also help address many of the challenges you face during the spread of [...]

December 14, 2022|Categories: COVID-19|Tags: COVID-19, expanded emergency telehealth, federal government and flu outbreak, federal government and RSV|

MedPAC Considers 2023 Medicare Rates at December Meeting

The government agency that advises Congress on Medicare payment matters met publicly in Washington, D.C. last week. During the virtual meeting, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed and debated: Assessing payment adequacy and updating payments: hospital inpatient and outpatient services and supporting Medicare safety-net hospitals – commissioners discussed a proposal to increase FY 2024 rates one percentage point more than current law prescribes. Commissioners also discussed additional steps they might take to provide better support to safety-net hospitals, which they described as “…hospitals with high shares of low-income [...]

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