Policy Updates

Coronavirus Update for Thursday, February 25

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 25. The White House President Biden has extended the declaration of a national health emergency because of COVID-19. The White House announced a new effort to make masks more available in communities hard hit by the pandemic. The administration will deliver more than 25 million masks to more than 1300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens. The White House COVID-19 response team and public health officials held a press briefing on Monday, February 22. See a transcript of [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-26T06:00:24-05:00February 26, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

ACA Medicaid Expansion Cut Young Adult Uninsurance in Half

The number of uninsured young adults fell nearly 50 percent after the Affordable Care Act authorized states to expand their Medicaid programs, a new study has found. According to the Urban Institute, the uninsured rate among people between the ages of 19 and 25 fell from 30.2 percent to 16 percent between 2011 and 2018, with most of the decline coming between 2013 and 2016, when the first round of states expanded their Medicaid programs. The decline in the rate of uninsured young adults mirrored declines in the overall U.S. uninsured rate, which fell from 27.7 percent to 11.3 percent [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-25T13:00:37-05:00February 25, 2021|Affordable Care Act, Medicaid|

Hospitals Starting to Comply With Price Transparency Requirement

One out of every three hospitals is in full compliance with a federal mandate to post payer rates publicly and transparently. And many others are partially in compliance with the federal requirement that took effect on January . Full compliance requires that the postings are machine-readable and include payer-negotiated rates for 300 “shoppable services.” 2000 of 6000 hospitals are already meeting four of five federal criteria and about 20 percent appear to be on their way to doing so. Hospitals began working to comply with the new federal mandate when their attempt to block it in court failed. Learn more [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-25T06:00:47-05:00February 25, 2021|hospitals|

GAO Looks at “Medicaid in Times of Crisis”

The federal government often turns to Medicaid to address problems, mitigate damage, and serve vulnerable populations, especially in times of crisis. In a new issue brief, the U.S. Government Accountability Office looks at examples of how states and the federal government have turned to Medicaid in times of crisis and some of the policy considerations underlying those actions. Find these examples in the new GAO report “Medicaid in Times of Crisis.”

iqtsupport2021-02-24T13:00:53-05:00February 24, 2021|Medicaid|

Administration Continues Dismantling Medicaid Work Requirements

A week after announcing that it was withdrawing permission for states to implement approved Medicaid work requirements and would no longer entertain applications to introduce such programs, the Biden administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to cancel arguments next month on the legality of such requirements. As reported in SCOTUSblog, That argument is no longer necessary, Biden’s acting solicitor general, Elizabeth Prelogar, told the justices in a seven-page motion on Monday. The Biden administration has “preliminarily determined” that work requirements do not serve Medicaid’s goals, Prelogar wrote. Arkansas, one of the two states involved in the case, maintains that [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-24T06:00:14-05:00February 24, 2021|Medicaid|

Coronavirus Update for Monday, February 22

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, February 22. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its FAQ on Medicare COVID-19 billing issues with 13 new questions addressing vaccines, monoclonal antibody treatments, and ambulatory surgery centers functioning as acute-care hospitals during the public health emergency. The questions, all labeled “2/19/2021,” can be found on pages 27-28, 135-137, and 152-153. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has updated its Provider Relief Fund FAQ with an updated question about how applicants should set up an account of behalf of [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-23T06:00:19-05:00February 23, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Coronavirus Update for Friday, February 19

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, February 19. The White House The White House announced that it is increasing the vaccine supply sent weekly to states to 13.5 million doses a week. This is a 57 percent increase over weekly shipments a month ago. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its “COVID-19 Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies” web page. The page includes: information about Medicare Part B payments for COVID-19 and certain monoclonal antibodies during the public health emergency information about payment allowances and effective dates [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-22T06:00:58-05:00February 22, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Coronavirus Update for Tuesday, February 16

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has announced new staff appointments. They are: Office of the Secretary Sean McCluskie, Chief of Staff Anne Reid, Deputy Chief of Staff Dawn O’Connell, Senior Counselor, COVID Response Sarah Despres, Counselor for Public Health and Science Kristin Avery, White House Liaison Kathryn Alvarez, Deputy Chief of Staff, COVID Response Perrie Briskin, Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff David Kessler, Chief Science Officer, COVID Response Shannon Myricks, Deputy White House Liaison Esmeralda Orozco, Special [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-17T08:49:22-05:00February 17, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Coronavirus Update for Thursday, February 11

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, February 11. The White House The White House has announced the membership of its COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. See this White House fact sheet to learn more about the task force, its objectives, and its members. The White House has announced the introduction of a community health center vaccination program next week, with doses of vaccines to be sent directly to such facilities, and an increase in the supply of vaccines to be shared with states, tribes, and territories. Learn more from [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-12T06:00:04-05:00February 12, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19|

Oregon Establishes Community Benefit Levels for Hospitals

Individual hospitals will need to meet specific community benefit requirements to retain their non-profit status under a new program in the state of Oregon. As described in a news release from the Oregon Health Authority and Department of Human Services, Each tax-exempt hospital or hospital system in the state will receive a floor for community benefit spending based on their revenues, prior expenditures, financial health, and the needs of the population served. As part of the program, The bill created new standards for financial assistance to patients including increasing the income thresholds for charity care, limited medical debt collection and [...]

iqtsupport2021-02-11T06:00:11-05:00February 11, 2021|hospitals|