MedPAC

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, May 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have awarded nearly $25 million to 125 HRSA-funded health centers to improve and strengthen access to school-based health services. Awards will support local partnerships between schools and health centers to provide children and youth with comprehensive physical and mental health care. Learn more from this HHS news release. HHS and its Substance Abuse [...]

iqtsupport2022-05-05T16:22:38-04:00May 5, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, 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 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|

MedPAC Makes 2023 Medicare Payment Recommendations

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has released its March 2022 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. The report includes MedPAC’s recommendations for Medicare payments in 2023. For the coming year, MedPAC recommends the following changes in Medicare fee-for-service payments: hospital inpatient payments – increase 2.5% hospital outpatient payments – increase 2.0% long-term care hospital payments – increase approximately 2.0% outpatient dialysis payments – increase 1.2% physician, ambulatory surgical center, and hospice payments – no change skilled nursing facility, home health, and inpatient rehabilitation facility payments – reduce 5.0% The report also reviews the status of Medicare Advantage and the [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-21T06:00:52-04:00March 21, 2022|Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, March 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund On March 22, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program will stop accepting claims for testing and treatment due to lack of funds. On April 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program and COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund will stop accepting vaccination claims due to a lack of funds. See the announcement of these changes. Providers that received Provider [...]

iqtsupport2022-03-16T17:41:14-04:00March 16, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid upper-payment limit, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

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|

FEDERAL HEALTH POLICY UPDATE FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, February 25. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS made more than $560 million in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 4100 providers across the country this week. According to HHS, approximately 86 percent of all Phase 4 applications have now been processed and the remaining applications will continue to be processed throughout early 2022. To date, HHS has distributed $11.5 billion of the $17 billion allocated [...]

iqtsupport2022-02-25T16:45:53-05:00February 25, 2022|ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, health equity, Medicare DSH, Medicare regulations, MedPAC|

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|