Medicaid regulations

Federal Health Policy Update for May 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 16-22. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress: Reconciliation Early Thursday morning the House of Representatives passed its version of an FY 2025 budget reconciliation bill by a vote of 215-214. The bill underwent a number of changes during the hours before its passage and its health care provisions now include $800 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next ten years. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill, mostly because of the Medicaid cuts, will lead to 8.6 million [...]

joe2025-05-23T10:22:33-04:00May 23, 2025|340b, Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, deficit reduction, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 15

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 9-15. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress: Reconciliation House Energy and Commerce Committee Charged with finding $880 billion in federal spending cuts over the next ten years, the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week produced legislative language to be included in a House reconciliation bill that would achieve that objective. The committee’s cost-cutting provisions include: Freezing state Medicaid provider taxes at their current level, prohibiting the establishment of new provider taxes, modifying the criteria CMS uses to determine [...]

joe2025-05-15T17:19:56-04:00May 15, 2025|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, deficit reduction, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare cuts, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 8

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 2-8. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Reconciliation Over the past several days the political gravity surrounding Medicaid cuts has begun to shift slightly. Moderate Republicans have been pushing back more forcefully and more loudly against such cuts, with some saying they will not support more than work requirements and increased enforcement checks for eligibility. Opposition to most Medicaid cuts led the Energy and Commerce Committee to delay a markup of its reconciliation bill planned for this week to [...]

joe2025-05-08T16:50:48-04:00May 8, 2025|Accountable Care Organization, Alternative payment models, Congress, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Are Medicaid Provider Taxes, State-Directed Payments in Play?

Even as the House Energy and Commerce Committee contemplates how it will reach its assigned target of $880 billion in spending cuts mostly through Medicaid cuts, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may be following a similar course by targeting two potential changes that Congress is already thought to be considering: changes in policies governing Medicaid provider taxes and state-directed Medicaid payments. Recently, CMS filed a proposed regulation titled “Preserving Medicaid Funding for Vulnerable Populations – Closing a Health Care-Related Tax Loophole” to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Speculation centers on whether this proposed policy [...]

joe2025-04-24T15:54:20-04:00April 28, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 4-10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House today passed the budget resolution passed by the Senate last week. Passage of the same budget resolution by both chambers now enables Congress to begin work on a reconciliation bill to enact President Trump’s priorities on tax cuts, border security, and energy policies. Until this morning, more than a dozen Republican House members had opposed the Senate-passed budget resolution because they believed the Senate’s budget did not require enough spending [...]

joe2025-04-10T16:05:02-04:00April 10, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 7-13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Funding the Federal Government Unless Congress passes spending legislation, funding for the federal government will expire at 12:01 a.m. this Saturday, March 15. This week, the House passed a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through the end of the 2025 federal fiscal year. The bill extends telehealth flexibilities, the Acute Hospital Care at Home program, and other health extenders through September 30, 2025. The bill also delays cuts to [...]

joe2025-03-13T15:54:07-04:00March 13, 2025|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March February 28 – March 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The current continuing resolution funding the federal government expires on March 14. Leaders intend to propose a long-term continuing resolution through the end of the current federal fiscal year in September. The likelihood of success of that approach is uncertain. Separately, a number of health care extenders, including preventing cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH), an extension of telehealth flexibilities, an extension of the Acute Hospital Care [...]

joe2025-03-06T16:39:50-05:00March 6, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

MACPAC Meets

Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met publicly last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of its meeting. During MACPAC’s February 2025 meeting, staff presented four draft policy recommendations to address challenges related to transitions from pediatric to adult care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). The draft recommendations reflect the Commission’s feedback from the December and January meetings. The recommendations include requiring states to develop a strategy for transitions of care for CYSHCN, which includes developing an individualized transition of care plan and making the strategy publicly [...]

joe2025-03-05T09:14:32-05:00March 5, 2025|MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 7 - 13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Introduction With the pause in external communication that the new administration imposed on HHS three weeks ago, including announcements, advisories, regular publications, and web site updates, there has been very little public communication from or activity involving HHS in the past week. While an HHS spokesperson explained that the moratorium has been eased and agencies are now permitted to engage in some public communication, subject to review, such activity remains very [...]

Hospitals Chart 2025 Public Policy Objectives

The hospital industry has an ambitious public policy agenda for 2025 – most of it involving defending the status quo against proposed changes. Hospitals’ advocacy in 2025 will focus on: Fighting off Medicaid cuts, work requirements, reductions in the federal Medicaid matching rate, eliminating scheduled cuts in Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allotments to the states, and protecting state-directed Medicaid payments and the ability of states to raise Medicaid funding through provider taxes. Preventing a transition to site-neutral payments for Medicare-covered outpatient services. Ensuring the continuation of current section 340B prescription drug discount program practices. Preserving and even extending current [...]

joe2025-02-12T11:11:23-05:00February 13, 2025|340b, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|