Medicaid

HHS to Reorganize

The federal Department of Health and Human Services has announced a major restructuring of its operations. The changes include: Terminating an additional 10,000 of the agency’s employees, over and above 10,000 employee reduction that already has taken place, thereby reducing its staff from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees. The terminations include: 300 full-time employees at CMS, with HHS noting that this “…will not impact Medicare and Medicaid.” 3500 at the FDA, with HHS explaining that this reduction “…will not affect drug, medical device, or food reviewers, nor will it impact inspectors.” 1200 at the NIH. 2400 at the CDC. Reducing [...]

joe2025-03-27T16:30:58-04:00March 31, 2025|Medicaid, Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 21-27. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House and Senate need to pass a joint budget resolution as a first step before committees can begin writing legislation to pass under reconciliation. Each chamber has passed its own budget resolution and while the two are very different, congressional leaders have agreed to write a less prescriptive resolution that will permit each chamber’s committees to determine the level of spending and saving required and then will try to work out [...]

joe2025-03-27T17:03:07-04:00March 27, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Five Million Could Lose Medicaid With Federal Work Requirement

If adopted, a federal requirement that Medicaid beneficiaries in expansion states work at least 80 hours a month to retain their eligibility for Medicaid could result in five million people losing their Medicaid coverage, according to a new analysis. And if that requirement were to be expanded to all Medicaid beneficiaries, that number could rise to as many as 30 million people. The analysis, included in a report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute, concluded that: Between 4.6 and 5.2 million adults living in states that expanded Medicaid would lose Medicaid coverage next year under [...]

joe2025-03-26T09:46:47-04:00March 26, 2025|Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 14-20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has rescinded Executive Order 13994 of January 21, 2021, titled “Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats.” In response to this action, CMS rescinded its November 22, 2022 memo “The Importance of Timely Use of COVID-19 Therapeutics,” the purpose of which, according the memo, was “…to highlight the importance of providing timely access to available COVID-19 therapeutics to patients who test positive [...]

joe2025-03-20T16:00:25-04:00March 20, 2025|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

If ACA Funding for Medicaid Expansion Were to be Cut…

When Congress enacted the Affordable Care Act in 2010 it offered states a powerful incentive to expand their criteria for Medicaid eligibility: money to pay for most of that expansion. Under that law, the federal government pays 90 percent of the cost of providing Medicaid-covered services to individuals who became eligible for the program under the expanded criteria. So far, 41 states and the District of Columbia have taken advantage of this enhanced funding and 11 million additional people have enrolled in the Medicaid program as a result. But what would happen if that enhanced federal Medical Assistance percentage – [...]

joe2025-03-13T17:26:22-04:00March 17, 2025|Affordable Care Act, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH|

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|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 21-27. 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. 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 at Home program, and other rural programs, will expire on March 31. Also, provisions that had been included in the bipartisan health care package proposed in December, including PBM reform, the package [...]

joe2025-02-27T16:26:33-05:00February 27, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, social determinants of health|

What Will Happen With Medicaid?

Amid extensive budget discussions, deliberations, and debates and a strong desire among many in Congress to reduce federal spending, lawmakers still have not decided how much to cut one of their primary spending targets: Medicaid. Will the cuts be marginal or major? Adopted easily or narrowly? Implemented quickly or over time? The future of Medicaid and Medicaid spending has been widely chronicled in recent days. For a closer look at the stakes and what might occur in the coming days, see the following resources: KFF Health News: “Can Medicaid’s Popularity Shield It From the Budget Ax?” KFF Health News: “Medicaid [...]

joe2025-02-25T17:24:27-05:00February 26, 2025|Congress, Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 14-20. 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 and 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 at Home program, and other rural programs will expire on March 31. It is yet unclear how Congress will meet either of those deadlines. Provisions that had been included in the bipartisan [...]

joe2025-02-20T16:09:51-05:00February 20, 2025|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Telehealth|

The Implications of Eliminating the ACA Medicaid Expansion Matching Rate

When the Affordable Care Act was adopted in 2010 it offered a powerful incentive for states to expand their Medicaid program: the federal government would pick up 90 percent of the cost of covering each state’s expansion population. Over the years, 40 of the 50 states have taken advantage of these terms to expand their Medicaid programs, resulting in a significant increase in both Medicaid enrollment and how much the federal government spends on Medicaid. Now, policymakers are considering ending that incentive, leaving the 40 states with a difficult choice: to pick up the additional cost themselves or reverse their [...]

joe2025-02-13T17:13:28-05:00February 18, 2025|Affordable Care Act, Congress, Medicaid|