hospital tax-exempt status

Administration, Congress, Press Hospitals for Reforms

Even at a time when passing major health care legislation in the near future becomes increasingly unlikely, the hospital community continues to face serious challenges from both the administration and Congress. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed making more Medicare outpatient payments on a site-neutral basis and reducing Medicare payments to hospitals for prescription drugs covered by the 340B drug pricing program. It also threatens other changes in the 340B program that hospitals believe will make it more difficult – and costly – to participate in. Meanwhile, Congress is considering increasing federal oversight of the finances of [...]

joe2026-07-07T16:42:00-04:00July 8, 2026|340b, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations|

House Weighs Hospital Transparency Bill

A new bill in the House of Representatives would require most non-profit hospitals to provide more detailed financial information to the federal government to justify their continued tax-exempt status. The Tax Exempt Hospital Transparency Act, currently working its way through the House Ways and Means Committee, would apply, in general, to non-profit hospitals and hospital organizations with more than 100 staffed beds and more than $100 million in patient revenue. Affected tax-exempt hospitals would be required to report annually on how they have addressed the needs identified in their required community needs assessment – and explain why they are not [...]

joe2026-07-01T12:09:31-04:00July 2, 2026|340b, Congress, hospitals|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 27

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 21-27. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency DeBrunner & Associates has prepared a summary of the status of selected government health care waivers and flexibilities upon the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11. The DeBrunner summary covers telehealth, COVID-19 treatment and coverage, flexible hospital operations, long-term-care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and units, patient cost-sharing, and state Medicaid waivers. Find the summary here. CMS has posted a new FAQ that [...]

iqtsupport2023-04-27T18:37:44-04:00April 27, 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, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Helping Safety-Net Hospitals Help Their Patients

A new report published on the Health Affairs Blog describes the continuing challenges safety-net hospitals face and offers suggestions for helping them meet those challenges. The challenges, according to the report, are the virtual elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s individual health insurance mandate; the continued decline in the amount of Medicare disproportionate share hospital money (Medicare DSH) provided to safety-net hospitals; and hospital closures that shift more of the burden for caring for uninsured patients onto a smaller pool of safety-net hospitals. The result is under-served patients and new financial risks for the hospitals that remain after some safety-net [...]

iqtsupport2018-05-15T06:00:29-04:00May 15, 2018|Affordable Care Act, hospitals, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH|