Medicare bad debt reimbursement

Federal Health Policy Update for December 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of December 19-22.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress As of this writing, Congress continues to work on an FY 2023 omnibus spending bill:  the Senate has passed it but the House has not yet addressed it.  Highlights of what negotiators have agreed to – but that have not yet been adopted – include: Preventing the additional four percent Medicare sequester for two years. Reducing by more than half the 4.5 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians [...]

CBO Looks For Cost-Cutting Opportunities

The Congressional Budget Office periodically issues a compendium of policy options for changing federal tax and spending policies in particular areas and reducing federal spending.  For each option the CBO presents an estimate of its effect on the budget without making recommendations either in favor of or against those options.  The latest update of options includes a number with potential implications for health care providers, including: changing the cost-sharing rules for Medicare and restricting medigap insurance reducing Medicare Advantage benchmarks reducing Medicare’s coverage of bad debt consolidating and reducing federal payments for graduate medical education at teaching hospitals establishing caps [...]

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 [...]

CBO Targets Health Care in Options for Reducing Deficit

Every year the Congressional Budget Office publishes a menu of options for reducing federal spending and the federal budget deficit.  As in the past, this year’s compendium includes a number of options to reduce federal health care spending and raises federal revenue through health care initiatives. The cost-cutting options include: establish caps on federal spending for Medicaid limit states’ taxes on health care providers reduce federal Medicaid matching rates change the cost-sharing rules for Medicare and restrict Medigap insurance raise the age of eligibility for Medicare to 67 reduce Medicare’s coverage of bad debt consolidate and reduce federal payments for [...]

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