Medicaid managed care

Federal Health Policy Update for December 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for December 8-14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. MedPAC Rate Recommendations At their latest public meeting, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission voted preliminary approval of the following rate updates for 2025 Medicare payments: Inpatient and outpatient services –update provided for in current law plus 1.5% and adoption of a safety-net index policy to pay safety-net hospitals another $4 billion. Physicians and other health professionals –update of 50% of the Medicare economic index and a new add-on payment for services [...]

joe2023-12-14T22:30:50-05:00December 14, 2023|340b, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care, Telehealth|

MACPAC Meets

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met for two days recently in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of the meeting. To kick off MACPAC’s November meeting, the Commission continued its work on denials and appeals in Medicaid managed care with a review of findings from beneficiary focus groups. Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) manage and provide care to beneficiaries enrolled in their plans. Beneficiaries have the right to appeal MCO coverage decisions. Federal rules require that states have monitoring systems in place to provide oversight of MCOs and their appeals systems. This session described key challenges [...]

iqtsupport2023-11-14T06:00:32-05:00November 14, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicaid regulations for long-term care|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 24

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 11-24. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services After suspending the No Surprises Act-created Independent Dispute Resolution process in the wake of a court ruling striking down a recent increase in fees for that process, CMS has established a new rate structure for initiating the adjudication of payment disagreements between providers and payers. It explains the new rate structure in this new FAQ, which nevertheless notes that despite the creation of new rates, the Independent [...]

HHS Review Questions Medicaid Managed Care Plans

Medicaid managed care plans may be shortchanging their members on care – or so suggests a new review by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General. According to the OIG, the Medicaid managed care plans it audited in 37 states rejected one out of every eight requests for prior authorization, with more than ten percent of the audited plans denying prior authorization requests more than 25 percent of the time. Such findings, the OIG concluded, “…raise(s) concerns about health equity and access to care for Medicaid managed care enrollees.” To address this problem, the OIG [...]

iqtsupport2023-07-26T06:00:12-04:00July 26, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care|

MACPAC Looks at Medicaid State Directed Payments

In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services authorized states to direct Medicaid managed care organizations to pay providers according to specific rates or methods. Typically, states use these arrangements, often referred to as state directed payments, to establish minimum payments for certain types of providers or to require participation in value-based payment arrangements. A few states, though, use state directed payments to require Medicaid managed care organizations to make large, additional payments to providers similar to supplemental payments their Medicaid fee-for-service programs. In a new issue brief, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission describes the history [...]

iqtsupport2023-07-05T13:34:25-04:00July 5, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 4

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 28 – May 4. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency DeBrunner & Associates has prepared a summary of the status of selected government health care waivers and flexibilities upon the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11. The DeBrunner summary covers telehealth, COVID-19 treatment and coverage, flexible hospital operations, long-term-care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and units, patient cost-sharing, and state Medicaid waivers. Find the summary here. The COVID-19 public health [...]

iqtsupport2023-05-04T17:25:59-04:00May 4, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, March 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 6-10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House FY 2024 Budget Proposal The Biden administration this week released its proposed FY 2024 federal budget. Among its many proposals are measures to extend the life of the Medicare hospital trust fund and reduce Medicare beneficiaries’ health care costs; to reduce prescription drug costs for consumers, Medicare, and Medicaid; to return high Medicaid managed care organization profits to the federal government; to make behavioral health care more affordable for seniors; to [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-10T15:57:42-05:00March 10, 2023|340b, Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, 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 March 2023 MACPAC meeting began with a staff presentation on potential recommendations for countercyclical disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments. Medicaid DSH payments offset hospital uncompensated care costs for Medicaid-enrolled and uninsured patients. During economic recessions, Medicaid enrollment and the number of people who are uninsured increases. During the October 2022 MACPAC meeting, Commissioners agreed that a countercyclical policy should be implemented during future economic recessions, and asked for additional analyses of the effects [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-10T06:00:08-05:00March 10, 2023|MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations for long-term care|

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 and go here for a transcript of the White House [...]

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 interviews, as well as possible approaches for improving the collection [...]

iqtsupport2022-12-15T06:00:20-05:00December 15, 2022|hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicaid regulations for long-term care|