Medicare

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has announced a series of steps designed to increase the availability of oral treatments for COVID-19. Those steps include nearly doubling the number of places oral antivirals are available in the coming weeks; launching a new effort to establish federally-supported test-to-treat sites; supporting medical providers with more guidance and tools to understand and prescribe treatments; and communicating to the public that safe, effective [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-28T17:23:03-04:00April 28, 2022|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|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 21

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Proposed FY 2023 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System Regulation CMS has published its proposed FY 2023 Medicare inpatient prospective payment system regulation outlining how it envisions paying hospitals for the inpatient care they provide to Medicare patients in the coming fiscal year. Highlights of the proposed regulation include: A proposed 3.2 percent increase in inpatient rates and a 0.7 percent increase in LTCH rates. A $654 million cut [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-21T17:30:19-04:00April 21, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Public Health Emergency Renewed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days effective April 16. White House In response to an executive order President Biden issued on his first day in office titled “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” 90 federal agencies and cabinet departments have released equity action plans that lay out more than [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-14T18:51:21-04:00April 14, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets

The government agency that advises Congress on Medicare payment matters met publicly in Washington, D.C. last week. During the virtual meeting, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed: addressing high prices of drugs covered under Medicare Part B initial findings from MedPAC's analysis of Part D data on drug rebates and discounts segmentation in the stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan market leveraging Medicare policies to address social determinants of health an approach to streamline and harmonize Medicare’s portfolio of alternative payment models aligning fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-12T06:00:14-04:00April 12, 2022|Alternative payment models, Medicare, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, April 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The administration is proposing to address a flaw in the Affordable Care Act often referred to as the “family glitch.” Under the ACA, people who do not have access to “affordable” health insurance through their jobs may qualify for a premium tax credit to purchase coverage on the ACA’s health insurance marketplaces. Current regulations define employer-based health insurance as “affordable” if the coverage for the employee [...]

iqtsupport2022-04-07T17:12:01-04:00April 7, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, March 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 2 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team to outline the administration’s National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. 340B Eligibility Protection and Telehealth Extensions in the Omnibus Spending Bill Providers that feared they might lose their eligibility to continue participating in the 340B prescription drug discount program because they have fallen below that program’s Medicare disproportionate share [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-10T17:37:25-05:00March 10, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, March 2

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund The Provider Relief Fund FAQ has been updated with three modified questions that address 1099 forms and procedures involved in returning Provider Relief Fund money to the federal government. Find the three updates, all marked “Modified 2/25/2022,” on pages 6 and 8 of the Provider Relief Fund FAQ. Federal Response to Surprise Billing Regulation Court Decision Last week a federal court decision invalidated a major [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-02T17:41:03-05:00March 2, 2022|Accountable Care Organization, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Hospitals Question Feds’ Plan for Doling Out New GME Slots

Last year Congress created 1000 new Medicare-supported graduate medical education residency slots. This year hospitals are unhappy about how regulators propose assigning those new slots. At issue, according to those who responded to CMS’s proposal for apportioning the slots, is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ heavy reliance on assigning those slots to providers in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). While the legislation calls for incorporating HPSAs into the distribution methodology, provider interests point out, it did not call for the degree of reliance on HPSAs that regulators propose. Doing so, they insist, is contrary to congressional intent. Learn [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-02T06:00:29-05:00March 2, 2022|hospitals, Medicare|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, February 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 18. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the February 16 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials. Go here to see the slides presented during the briefing. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Policy Update CMS has issued a request for information (RFI) seeking feedback on topics related to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), such as enrolling [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-18T17:15:56-05:00February 18, 2022|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Tuesday, January 11

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS has updated its FAQ for reconsideration requests involving Phase 4 and rural hospital payments. Find the updated FAQ here. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 HHS announced that beginning January 15, individuals with private health insurance coverage who purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA will be able to have those test costs covered by their insurance. [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-11T17:32:41-05:00January 11, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|