Medicaid regulations

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Federal Health Policy Update for May 25

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 19-25.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House Energy and Commerce Committee has advanced to the full House two bills with significant implications for health care providers. H.R. 3561 calls for delaying $8 billion a year in Medicaid DSH cuts for two years – cuts scheduled to take effect in October; imposing site-neutral payments for drug infusion services provided in off-campus hospital outpatient departments; imposing stronger price transparency requirements on hospitals; and requiring hospitals to report selected ownership [...]

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 [...]

Federal Health Policy Update for April 27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 21-27.  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. CMS has posted a new FAQ that [...]

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 [...]

Federal Health Policy Update for January 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for December 23 through January 5.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act HHS, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury have announced increases in the administrative fee for initiating the No Surprises Act’s Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process and for certified IDR entities.  Learn more about the administrative fee change here and about the certified IDR entity fee change here.  Both changes took effect on January 1. HHS, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the [...]

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 [...]

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