Policy Updates

Federal Health Policy Update for March 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 7-13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Funding the Federal Government Unless Congress passes spending legislation, funding for the federal government will expire at 12:01 a.m. this Saturday, March 15. This week, the House passed a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through the end of the 2025 federal fiscal year. The bill extends telehealth flexibilities, the Acute Hospital Care at Home program, and other health extenders through September 30, 2025. The bill also delays cuts to [...]

joe2025-03-13T15:54:07-04:00March 13, 2025|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

MedPAC Meets

MedPAC’s commissioners held their latest public meetings on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7. The subjects on the meetings’ agenda were: reforming Medicare physician fee schedule updates and improving the accuracy of relative payment rates reducing beneficiary cost-sharing for Medicare-covered outpatient services at critical access hospitals Medicare insurance agents Medigap mandated report: payment for ground ambulance services examining home health care use among Medicare Advantage enrollees institutional special needs plans reducing beneficiary cost-sharing for Medicare-covered outpatient services at critical access hospitals Go here for summaries of the issues and key points and links to the presentations delivered by MedPAC staff and [...]

joe2025-03-11T10:52:28-04:00March 12, 2025|Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

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|

MACPAC Meets

Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met publicly last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of its meeting. During MACPAC’s February 2025 meeting, staff presented four draft policy recommendations to address challenges related to transitions from pediatric to adult care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). The draft recommendations reflect the Commission’s feedback from the December and January meetings. The recommendations include requiring states to develop a strategy for transitions of care for CYSHCN, which includes developing an individualized transition of care plan and making the strategy publicly [...]

joe2025-03-05T09:14:32-05:00March 5, 2025|MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations|

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|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 7 - 13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Introduction With the pause in external communication that the new administration imposed on HHS three weeks ago, including announcements, advisories, regular publications, and web site updates, there has been very little public communication from or activity involving HHS in the past week. While an HHS spokesperson explained that the moratorium has been eased and agencies are now permitted to engage in some public communication, subject to review, such activity remains very [...]

Hospitals Chart 2025 Public Policy Objectives

The hospital industry has an ambitious public policy agenda for 2025 – most of it involving defending the status quo against proposed changes. Hospitals’ advocacy in 2025 will focus on: Fighting off Medicaid cuts, work requirements, reductions in the federal Medicaid matching rate, eliminating scheduled cuts in Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allotments to the states, and protecting state-directed Medicaid payments and the ability of states to raise Medicaid funding through provider taxes. Preventing a transition to site-neutral payments for Medicare-covered outpatient services. Ensuring the continuation of current section 340B prescription drug discount program practices. Preserving and even extending current [...]

joe2025-02-12T11:11:23-05:00February 13, 2025|340b, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|