MedPAC

Federal Health Policy Update for April 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 8 – 20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The Biden administration has announced a plan to expand health coverage for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) individuals. To this end, it announced that HHS will soon propose a rule amending the definition of “lawful presence,” for purposes of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage, to include DACA recipients. If finalized, the rule would make DACA individuals eligible for these programs for the first time. Under the proposed rule, [...]

iqtsupport2023-04-20T17:24:28-04:00April 20, 2023|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 31 – April 7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House President Biden has signed an executive order calling for the modernization of the regulatory review process. Among other objectives, the order seeks to improve the effectiveness of the regulatory review process and promote inclusive regulatory policy and public participation. The order gives the Office of Management and Budget, through its Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and in consultation with the Council of Economic Advisers and representatives [...]

iqtsupport2023-04-07T17:07:33-04:00April 7, 2023|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, social determinants of health|

MedPAC Offers FY 2024 Rate Recommendations

Medicare rates would rise for some providers and fall for others based on recommendations made to Congress last week by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the independent congressional agency that advises Congress on Medicare reimbursement matters. MedPAC’s rate recommendations to Congress and the administration, which it approved at its January 2023 meeting, are: Outpatient and inpatient prospective payment systems – under current law, the estimated increase would be about 2.9 percent; MedPAC proposes 2.9 percent plus one percent. Physician services – increase fees 50 percent of the projected increase in the medical economic index (MEI). Skilled nursing facilities – reduce [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-22T06:00:32-04:00March 22, 2023|Congress, hospitals, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 13-16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) MedPAC has published its “March 2023 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy.” In this year’s report MedPAC considers the context of the Medicare program, including the near-term consequences of COVID-19 and the longer-term effects of program spending on the federal budget and the program’s financial sustainability. It evaluates payment adequacy and make recommendations concerning Medicare payment policy in 2024 for selected fee-for-service payment systems but explains that [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-16T17:31:47-04:00March 16, 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, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, 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|

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: reforming Medicare’s wage index system addressing the high prices of drugs covered under Medicare Part B a prototype design for a post-acute care prospective payment system favorable selection and future directions for Medicare Advantage payment policy aligning fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory care settings MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress on issues involving Medicare. While its recommendations are not binding on either Congress or the administration, MedPAC is [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-09T13:00:37-05:00March 9, 2023|Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 27 to March 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act The Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) entities empowered by the No Surprises Act to adjudicate disagreements between providers and payers may resume their work – but only some of it. CMS has directed IDRs entities to resume processing payment determinations on February 27 for disputes involving items or services furnished before October 25, 2022 but not to issue decisions involving items or services furnished on or after October [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-03T13:20:02-05:00March 3, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of January 23 to February 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. 340B Pharmaceutical companies may restrict the ability of providers to use specialty and community pharmacies to distribute 340B-covered drugs, a federal appeals court has decided. See the court’s ruling here. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has revised its fact sheets about COVID-19 public health emergency waivers and flexibilities for different types of providers, updating which waivers and flexibilities have already been terminated, which have been [...]

iqtsupport2023-02-06T17:03:31-05:00February 6, 2023|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for January 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of January 13-20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has published updates to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes on the Required Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Order Prior to Delivery List. The update adds ten codes to the list of items that require a face-to-face encounter between provider and patient and a written order prior to delivery as a condition of payment. Go here for a summary of the update [...]

iqtsupport2023-01-20T15:28:07-05:00January 20, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for January 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for January 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Renewal of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has signed an order extending the previous declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency. This declaration extends the emergency to April 11. The administration continues to assure stakeholders it will provide 60 days’ notice prior to the end of the public health emergency. MedPAC Medicare Rate Recommendations Every year MedPAC recommends to Congress rate increases for the different kinds of health care [...]

iqtsupport2023-01-12T19:22:04-05:00January 12, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|