Medicaid regulations

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 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 [...]

iqtsupport2023-04-27T18:37:44-04:00April 27, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, 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, MedPAC|

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|

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 [...]

iqtsupport2023-01-05T17:15:07-05:00January 5, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

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|

Federal Health Policy Update for December 8

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of December 4-8. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act CMS has published an FAQ about implementation of good faith estimates for uninsured and self-pay patients under the No Surprises Act. In the FAQ the agency explains that it will extend enforcement discretion for situations in which good faith estimates do not include expected charges from co-providers or co-facilities. This enforcement discretion was expected to end on January 1 but CMS now writes that it will remain [...]

iqtsupport2022-12-08T17:09:11-05:00December 8, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare bad debt reimbursement, Medicare cuts, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

FEDERAL HEALTH POLICY UPDATE FOR December 1

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of November 28 to December 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. 340B HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have proposed revising the current 340B administrative dispute resolution process. Since the current process was introduced in 2020 HRSA has encountered policy and operational challenges with its implementation and now proposes revising it and is soliciting comment on its proposed new approach. Changes include changing the nature of the dispute resolution process, using different kinds of professionals [...]

FEDERAL HEALTH POLICY UPDATE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19-27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of September 19-27. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has issued a fact sheet summarizing new actions and funding to address the overdose epidemic and support recovery as part of its September “National Recovery Month.” Awarding $1.5 billion for all states and territories to address addiction and the opioid crisis. Investing more than $104 million to expand substance use treatment and prevention in rural communities. Investing $20.5 million to increase access to recovery supports. [...]

iqtsupport2022-09-27T17:09:35-04:00September 27, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, May 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released $450 million in American Rescue Plan grants to rural health care providers. Go here to find the updated database of rural grant recipients. Department of Health and Human Services HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure have written to the nation’s governors about some of the challenges states will face when the COVID-19 public health [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-12T16:41:48-04:00May 12, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Telehealth|