Congress

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, April 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20. Congress This afternoon Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) put a hold on the president’s nomination of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to be CMS administrator in response to the administration’s decision to revoke a Medicaid waiver the previous administration granted to his state. The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a transcript of the April 19 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services COVID-19 CMS has issued section 1135 waivers to Colorado, Maine, [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-20T17:08:52-04:00April 20, 2021|Congress, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicare|

Recession Taking its Toll on States

State Medicaid programs are feeling the effects of the current recession, according to a new report by the Congressional Research Service. According to the brief report, state Medicaid enrollment and costs have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic began and states expect them to continue rising into their 2021 fiscal years. State efforts to reduce spending are limited by provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provided additional federal Medicaid matching funds to the states to assist them with their Medicaid costs during the COVID-19 pandemic but impose maintenance-of-effort requirements in exchange for continued state access to the enhanced [...]

iqtsupport2020-11-17T06:00:33-05:00November 17, 2020|Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid|

Health Care Workers Inadequately Protected by March Legislation

Many health care workers sickened by COVID-19 are not receiving the paid sick leave anticipated by a federal law passed in March, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General. Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, new protections were to be established to ensure that health care workers and others had access to additional paid sick leave for COVID-19-related illnesses. According to the OIG, however, the Labor Department’s stated exemptions to the March law are overly broad, leaving as many as nine million health care workers without the paid sick leave [...]

iqtsupport2020-08-14T06:00:58-04:00August 14, 2020|Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19|

A Look at Surprise Medical Bill Legislation

While Congress’s decision this week to put off addressing the surprise medical bill challenge until next year has disappointed many, that decision did not reflect any lack of ideas for what to do. At last count, various parts of Congress were considering four major surprise medical bill proposals: one from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, one from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one from the House Ways and Means Committee, and a compromise proposal from the Senate HELP and House Energy and Commerce committees. Some have been around for some time while one emerged only in [...]

iqtsupport2019-12-18T06:00:37-05:00December 18, 2019|Congress|

New Bill Would Address Social Determinants of Health

The federal government would provide funding to help address social determinants of health within Medicaid populations under a new bill introduced in the House of Representatives last week. According to a legislative summary prepared by one of the bipartisan bill’s sponsors, Economic and social conditions have a powerful impact on our health and wellness. Stable housing, reliable transportation and access to healthy foods are all factors that can make a difference in the prevention and management of many health conditions like diabetes, asthma and heart disease. Known as social determinants of health, a focus on these non-medical factors can improve [...]

iqtsupport2019-07-29T06:00:11-04:00July 29, 2019|Congress|

Ways and Means Establishes Rural Health Task Force

The House Ways and Means Committee has established a new “Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force.” The purpose of the task force, according to a committee news release, will be to … convene members and experts to discuss the challenges of delivering health care in rural and underserved areas, and explore holistic bipartisan policy options that could improve outcomes and care in these communities. The task force will have bipartisan leadership. Learn more about the task force, its members, its objectives, and how it intends to proceed with this work in this Ways and Means Committee news release.

iqtsupport2019-07-19T06:00:16-04:00July 19, 2019|Congress|