Policy Updates

Racial, Ethnic Health Care Disparities Remain Widespread

Racial and ethnic health disparities are pervasive across all states, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund. According to “The Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report,” Racial and ethnic disparities are pervasive across all states. Death rates and prevalence of health problems vary significantly by race and ethnicity in every state. Racial and ethnic health disparities are perpetuated by less insurance coverage and unequal access to high-quality care. Lack of comprehensive insurance coverage is a key contributor to disparities in access. Being uninsured or underinsured has consequences. Racial and ethnic disparities in care quality are driven by [...]

joe2024-04-18T20:47:43-04:00April 23, 2024|health equity|

Self-Employed Docs Increasingly Uncommon

The number of self-employed and independent practice physicians has fallen from three out of every four in 2012 to just one out of four today, according to a new study. The drastic change in just a dozen years is the result of hospitals and corporate entities purchasing physician practices. Hospital and corporate ownership are now greatest in the south and currently growing fastest in the northeast. For the first time, moreover, corporate ownership has surpassed hospitals as the largest owners of physician practices. Learn more about the changing nature of medical practice from the Fierce Healthcare article “Nearly 80% of [...]

joe2024-04-18T19:59:04-04:00April 22, 2024|hospitals|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 12-18. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The administration has launched a new global health security strategy that seeks to drive action across federal departments and agencies and rally support from other countries, the private sector, and civil society to better prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from infectious disease threats. The strategy seeks to build on the lessons learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more from this White House statement; the administration’s strategy [...]

joe2024-04-18T19:03:57-04:00April 18, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, MedPAC|

A Look at Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services

The National Association of Medicaid Directors has published a blog post offering background information about the role of state Medicaid programs in the delivery of home- and community-based services. The brief addresses such questions as: What are home- and community-based services? How do home- and community-based services vary across states and territories? What are the federal pathways for Medicaid coverage of home- and community-based services? How do states deliver home- and community-based services? How does this affect how a person receives HCBS services? What factors will affect the future of Medicaid HCBS? Learn more from the National Association of Medicaid [...]

joe2024-04-17T16:12:22-04:00April 18, 2024|Medicaid|

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. The April 2024 Commission meeting began with a presentation of a draft chapter on demographic data collection in Medicaid for the June Report to Congress. Racial and ethnic health disparities persist throughout the U.S. health care system. Previous meetings have focused on the collection of primary language and limited English proficiency, sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), and disability data to help assess and address these health disparities. Measuring differences in access and use of [...]

joe2024-04-16T17:34:59-04:00April 17, 2024|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid regulations|

MedPAC Meets

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met publicly last week in Washington, D.C. Their agenda consisted of the following issues: telehealth in Medicare alternative approaches to lowering Medicare payments for selected conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities considering approaches for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule assessing consistency between plan-submitted data sources for Medicare Advantage enrollees generic drug pricing under Part D initial findings from analysis of Medicare Part B payment rates and 340B ceiling prices Go here for a brief overview of each agenda item and links to the staff presentations on those issues. MedPAC is an independent congressional [...]

joe2024-04-16T15:35:18-04:00April 16, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 5-11. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. CMS – Proposed FY 2025 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System Regulation Earlier this week CMS issued its proposed FY 2025 Medicare inpatient prospective payment system regulation – the rule under which it envisions paying acute-care hospitals, critical access hospitals, and long-term care hospitals for inpatient care in the coming fiscal year. Highlights of the proposed rule include: Rate increases of 2.6 percent for acute-care and critical access hospitals and 2.8 percent for LTCHs. [...]

For-Profit Operators Opening Psychiatric Hospitals

Seeing a growing shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds for people with severe mental illness, a growing number of for-profit companies are establishing psychiatric hospitals in areas of need. Across the country, inpatient psychiatric hospitals have been closing for years and many acute-care hospitals have been closing their inpatient psychiatric units as well. Now, for-profit operators see opportunity and are attempting to seize it in underserved areas – and especially in underserved rural areas. Learn more about this trend of for-profit companies opening inpatient psychiatric hospitals from the KFF Health News article “For-Profit Companies Open Psychiatric Hospitals in Areas Clamoring for [...]

joe2024-04-09T17:02:14-04:00April 11, 2024|hospitals|

MACPAC to Talk Medicaid Financing, Supplemental Payments, More

Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission will meet publicly on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12. Subjects on the two-day session’s agenda include: Medicaid and children’s health insurance program (CHIP) financing access to home- and community-based services supplemental Medicaid hospital payments such as Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) Medicaid unwinding recommendations for MACPAC’s June report to Congress Go here for a closer look at the MACPAC meeting agenda and for information about how to participate in the meeting.

joe2024-04-09T18:26:20-04:00April 10, 2024|hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH|

MedPAC to Talk Telemedicine, Doc Payments, 340B, More

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission will meet publicly on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12. Medicare reimbursement subjects on the two-day session’s agenda include: telehealth inpatient rehabilitation hospital payments the physician fee schedule Medicare Advantage Part D generic drug pricing Part B rate and 340B ceilings Go here for a more detailed look at the MedPAC agenda and for information about how to participate in the meeting.

joe2024-04-09T17:14:42-04:00April 9, 2024|340b, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|