Medicaid DSH

Proposal Would Establish New “Essential Health System” Designation

The newly proposed “Reinforcing Essential Health Systems for Communities Act” would create a new federal hospital designation that would create a mechanism for directing more federal resources to safety-net hospitals that care for more low-income and uninsured patients. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA) and David Valadao (R-CA), would, according to Rep. Trahan, … provide federal lawmakers with the avenues necessary to target funding and resources to these critical facilities – just as we’ve done with other types of hospitals that serve specific populations or regions. Hospitals would qualify for “essential health system” status by meeting one [...]

2024-02-20T17:02:55+00:00February 20, 2024|Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|
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Congress Spares Medicaid DSH Cut – for Now

An oft-delayed cut in Medicaid disproportionate share allotments to states was delayed once again in the latest temporary spending bill passed by Congress last week. The stopgap spending bill, which runs until March 8, delays an $8 billion a year cut in Medicaid DSH payments that was part of the Affordable Care Act and has been put off by Congress on numerous occasions ever since. The reduction was envisioned as an appropriate move in anticipation of a significant increase in uninsured Americans after the 2010 reform law’s passage.  While that increase has occurred, many hospitals continue to care for significant [...]

2024-01-23T19:58:33+00:00January 23, 2024|Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments|
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Federal Health Policy Update for December 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government December 14-20.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House is in recess until January 9.  The Senate has delayed its recess to continue negotiations on a possible foreign aid and border policy deal. Democrats from the House Ways and Means Committee have published a report on the relationship between the U.S. health care system and climate change.  View their report “Health Care and the Climate Crisis:  Preparing America’s Health Care Infrastructure.” No Surprises Act The federal government has reopened the [...]

2023-12-20T19:33:02+00:00December 20, 2023|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|
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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 meeting. MACPAC’s December 2023 meeting opened with a session that highlighted findings related to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection as part of the Commission’s focus on the collection of primary language and limited English proficiency, SOGI, and disability data for the purposes of assessing and addressing health disparities. During this discussion, we reviewed the purpose of SOGI data and federal and state priorities for collecting these data, which includes an overview of [...]

2023-12-19T15:36:42+00:00December 19, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations|
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Federal Health Policy Update for December 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for December 1-7.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress While Congress has more than a month before the next federal funding deadline of January 19, committees are working to prepare and pass health care legislation. On the House calendar for floor votes next week is H.R. 5378, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act.  This bill would eliminate the pending cuts to Medicaid DSH for two years (those cuts are temporarily suspended through January 19); introduce site-neutral payments for drug administration services [...]

2023-12-07T21:50:17+00:00December 7, 2023|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|
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Federal Health Policy Update for November 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for November 10-16.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress This week Congress passed another continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government beyond Friday, when the current CR expires.  This bill establishes two separate deadlines for lawmakers to pass certain spending bills so they can avoid an omnibus bill that includes all 12 appropriations bills.  Congress must pass four of the spending bills by January 19 and the other bills by February 2.  The Labor, HHS, and Education bill, one of [...]

2023-11-16T16:58:54+00:00November 16, 2023|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, social determinants of health|
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Bill Would Halt Medicaid DSH Cuts, Bring Other Changes

A wide-ranging bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee would eliminate $16 billion in Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) payments over the next two years. The Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, passed by the committee with unanimous, bipartisan support, also seeks to improve access to mental health care for Medicare patients living in rural and underserved areas; improve access to behavioral health services via telehealth for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries; reduce some of the recently adopted cuts in Medicare payments to physicians that will take effect in 2024; toughen federal regulations governing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs); [...]

2023-11-15T13:00:58+00:00November 15, 2023|Congress, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|
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Federal Health Policy Update for November 9

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for November 3-9.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Senate Finance Committee Earlier this week the Senate Finance Committee passed the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act of 2023.  The bill, which passed out of the committee by a vote of 26-0, would: eliminate $16 billion in cuts to Medicaid DSH for 2024 and 2025; soften the 2024 cut to Medicare physician payments by reducing the conversion factor by 2.15 percent rather than the 3.4 percent that CMS [...]

2023-11-09T15:41:22+00:00November 9, 2023|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|
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Federal Health Policy Update for October 26

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for October 20-26.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress More than three weeks after House Republicans voted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA) out of the speaker’s office, the House has elected Rep. Mike Johnson (LA) to the position.  Speaker Johnson is a social conservative and has pushed for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, including plans to roll back Medicaid expansion in 2019. The Speaker has said he intends for the House to take up as many FY 2024 spending bills as possible [...]

2023-10-26T15:51:16+00:00October 26, 2023|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|
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Federal Health Policy Update for October 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for October 13-19.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress At this moment there is still no Speaker of the House of Representatives.  After 20 and then 22 House Republicans voted against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Mr. Jordan has joined others, including senior Democrats, in supporting a plan to expand the powers of the temporary speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC).  Mr. Jordan remains the speaker designee, an option that will enable him to continue to seek [...]

2023-10-19T15:01:13+00:00October 19, 2023|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|
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