Coronavirus

Vaccination Rates Low Among Medicaid Recipients

Individuals enrolled in Medicaid are less likely to have received COVID-19 vaccines than the population as a whole, according to a recently published report. Among the possible reasons for this low rate, observers speculate, is greater vaccine hesitancy among low-income individuals (as identified in a nation-wide survey), less flexible work schedules, and economic barriers such as lack of transportation or child care. Learn more about the extent of the problem around the country and what state Medicaid programs are doing to encourage more Medicaid beneficiaries to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated in the Roll Call article “Medicaid beneficiaries [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-07T16:10:04-04:00July 7, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, July 2

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, July 2. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Supreme Court The Supreme Court has announced that it will hear a case in its next term challenging cuts in 340B payments and another involving Medicare disproportionate share. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the July 1 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. The transcript includes the announcement that the federal government will be launching surge response teams [...]

iqtsupport2021-07-05T22:53:55-04:00July 5, 2021|340b, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, June 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Supreme Court Decision in Site-Neutral Payment Case The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of a case rejecting the bid of hospital interests to prevent Medicare’s implementation of site-neutral payment rates for outpatient clinic visits. Provider Relief Fund CMS has updated the following pages on its Provider Relief Fund web site: For Providers, General Information, Data, Reporting Requirements and Auditing, and FAQs. The updates incorporate changes [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-30T18:00:00-04:00June 30, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, June 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Supreme Court Decision in Affordable Care Act Case The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of a case in which insurers unsuccessfully sued to recover reductions in their Affordable Care Act federal cost-sharing reduction payments. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the June 22 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Department of Health and Human Services [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-28T17:33:25-04:00June 28, 2021|Affordable Care Act, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Monday, June 21

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Monday, June 21. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Supreme Court Decision in Affordable Care Act Challenge The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in the California v. Texas case by a 7-2 vote in which the court concluded that the plaintiffs did not have standing to pursue the matter because they were not directly harmed. See the court’s opinion here. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the June [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-21T21:31:34-04:00June 21, 2021|Affordable Care Act, Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, June 15

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund Late last week HHS announced that it has increased the amount of time providers will have to report information and extended key deadlines for expending Provider Relief Fund payments for recipients that received payments after June 30, 2020. The revised reporting requirements will be applicable to providers that received one or more payments exceeding, in the aggregate, $10,000 during a single payment-received period from the [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-15T17:31:26-04:00June 15, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, June 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House Health Policy News The White House has released a memo titled “What We Urge You To Do To Protect Against The Threat of Ransomware.” This memo addresses the growing number and size of ransomware incidents and calls upon government and the private sector to take steps to protect their organizations from this growing threat. The memo also outlines the federal government’s recommended best practices. Find the [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-10T17:25:42-04:00June 10, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Health Policy Update for Tuesday, June 8

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House Health Policy News The White House, HHS, HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the FDA have announced a series of policy recommendations to address vulnerabilities in U.S. pharmaceutical supply chains. Under one of these recommendations, HHS, under the Defense Production Act and building on current public-private partnerships, will establish a public-private consortium for advanced domestic manufacturing of essential medicines production. The [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-08T17:24:26-04:00June 8, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations|

Medicaid Enrollment Continues to Rise

Medicaid enrollment in 36 states rose 17.7 percent from February 2020 to March 2021. Leading the way were two Medicaid expansion states, Utah and Nebraska, which saw their Medicaid enrollment increase 37.6 percent and 30.9 percent, respectively.Other states with major increases in Medicaid enrollment were Missouri (26.5 percent), Illinois (26.3 percent), and Indiana (25.7 percent). The increases appear to have been driven by pandemic-related job losses and the accompanying economic downturn. Learn more about where and why Medicaid enrollment is rising from the article “What is Happening With Medicaid Enrollment in Q1 of 2021?” on the web site of the [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-08T06:00:02-04:00June 8, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, June 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House Health Policy News Late last week the Biden administration released its proposed FY 2022 budget. Most of the health care provisions had already been disclosed and discussed prior to the formal budget release. For additional information about the proposed budget, see the following resources: A budget in brief document. An OMB summary. An OMB budget fact sheet. COVID-19 President Biden announced a “National Month of Action” [...]

iqtsupport2021-06-03T17:30:36-04:00June 3, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|