Medicaid DSH allotments

Federal Health Policy Update for March 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 27 to March 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act The Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) entities empowered by the No Surprises Act to adjudicate disagreements between providers and payers may resume their work – but only some of it. CMS has directed IDRs entities to resume processing payment determinations on February 27 for disputes involving items or services furnished before October 25, 2022 but not to issue decisions involving items or services furnished on or after October [...]

admin2023-03-03T13:20:02+00:00March 3, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, March 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund On March 22, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program will stop accepting claims for testing and treatment due to lack of funds. On April 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program and COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund will stop accepting vaccination claims due to a lack of funds. See the announcement of these changes. Providers that received Provider [...]

admin2022-03-16T17:41:14+00:00March 16, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid upper-payment limit, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

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 October 2020 MACPAC meeting opened with a panel discussion on restarting Medicaid eligibility redeterminations when the public health emergency ends. It included Jennifer Wagner, director of Medicaid eligibility and enrollment at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; René Mollow, deputy director for health care benefits and eligibility at the California Department of Health Care Services; and Lee Guice, director of policy and operations at the Department for Medicaid Services, Kentucky Cabinet for [...]

admin2020-11-05T06:00:25+00:00November 5, 2020|MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid regulations|

Prescription Drug Bill Would Kill Two Years of Medicaid DSH Cuts

Two years of Medicaid DSH cuts would be eliminated under a new prescription drug bill released last week by the Senate Finance Committee. The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act includes a provision that would eliminate two years of Affordable Care Act-mandated cuts in the allocation of federal money to the states for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments (Medicaid DSH). Those cuts have been delayed several times by Congress but were scheduled to begin in October of 2019 and run through federal FY 2025, only to be delayed again twice by continuing resolutions adopted by Congress to fund the federal government [...]

admin2019-12-10T13:00:30+00:00December 10, 2019|Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments|

Medicaid DSH Cut Delayed

Cuts in Medicaid DSH payments to hospitals will be delayed for another month after Congress passed, and the president signed, a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 20. A cut in federal Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allotments to the states is mandated by the Affordable Care Act and has been delayed several times by Congress. If implemented, Medicaid DSH allotments to the states would be slashed $4 billion in FY 2020 and then $8 billion a year through FY 2025. Cuts in allotments to the states would result in reductions of Medicaid DSH payments to DSH-eligible [...]

admin2019-11-25T06:00:44+00:00November 25, 2019|Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments|

Verma Addresses Medicaid Issues

Earlier this week, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma spoke at a conference of the National Association of Medicaid Directors. In addition to discussing a proposed regulation posted earlier in the day that would introduce changes in the regulation of state financing of their Medicaid programs, Verma also addressed: Medicaid demonstration programs Medicaid work requirements a shift toward value-based payments better coordination of care for the dually eligible (individuals serve by both Medicaid and Medicare) enrollment issues improvements in the efficiency of the federal Medicaid bureaucracy Read Verma’s complete remarks here.

admin2019-11-15T06:00:58+00:00November 15, 2019|Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid upper-payment limit|

MACPAC Posts Meeting Transcript

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. The issues on MACPAC’s agenda were: state readiness to report mandatory core set measures analysis of buprenorphine prescribing patterns among advanced practitioners in Medicaid Medicaid’s statistical information system (T-MSIS) Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment (Medicaid DSH) allotments Medicaid policies related to third-party liability Medicaid and maternal health A transcript of the MACPAC meeting is now available. Find it here.

admin2019-11-14T06:00:13+00:00November 14, 2019|MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments|

MACPAC Looks at Medicaid DSH

At a time when cuts in Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments (Medicaid DSH) are still scheduled for the current fiscal year and some in Congress are calling for a new approach to allotting DSH funds among the states, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission has released its annual analysis of Medicaid DSH allotments to the states. The report includes: data about changes in the uninsured rate demographic information about the uninsured information about the cost of hospital uncompensated care perspectives on hospital Medicaid shortfalls a comparison of hospital uncompensated care costs when calculated using different methodologies data about [...]

admin2019-11-08T06:00:27+00:00November 8, 2019|hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments|

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 Commission devoted its Thursday morning discussion to integration of care for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Panelists Amber Christ, directing attorney at Justice in Aging; Griffin Myers, chief medical officer at Oak Street Health; and Michael Monson, senior vice president for Medicaid and complex care at Centene, presented beneficiary, provider, and health plan perspectives and a question and answer session followed. After lunch, MACPAC staff briefed the Commission on [...]

admin2019-11-07T06:00:47+00:00November 7, 2019|MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments|

Safety-Net Hospitals Gird for Loss of Medicaid DSH Money

Safety-net hospitals and others will lose a significant portion of their Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) payments on November 22 unless Congress delays implementation of the cut in those payments that was mandated by the Affordable Care Act. And hospitals that receive these payments are now preparing for the worst. The Medicaid DSH cut was included in the 2010 health care reform law in anticipation of a great reduction in the number of uninsured people leaving hospitals providing much less uncompensated care and therefore not in need of as much DSH money. The law’s reach has not proven to be [...]

admin2019-11-04T06:00:14+00:00November 4, 2019|Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments|