MedPAC

Federal Health Policy Update for April 4

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 29 – April 4. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has announced that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued a government-wide policy to attempt to mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and harness its benefits. The order directs action to strengthen AI safety and security, protect privacy, advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, and promote innovation and competition. It includes components on addressing risks from [...]

joe2024-04-04T20:06:11-04:00April 4, 2024|Affordable Care Act, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 21

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 15-21. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has announced new actions to advance women’s health research and innovation and issued an executive order in support of that objective. The order directs executive branch agencies to integrate women’s health across the federal research portfolio; prioritize investments in women’s health research; pursue new research on women’s midlife health; and assess unmet needs to support women’s health research. Learn more from this White House fact sheet, which [...]

MedPAC Recommends Medicare Rate Updates to Congress

Some health care providers deserve larger Medicare payments in 2025, some should receive payment cuts, and others should see their payments go unchanged according to new recommendations from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to Congress. In its annual report to Congress, MedPAC recommended the following changes in Medicare rates for 2025: Medicare inpatient rates – the rate increase currently scheduled by law for 2025 plus 1.5 percent. Medicare outpatient rates – the rate increase currently scheduled by law for 2025 plus 1.5 percent. Medicare physician rates – the rate increase for physician and other health professional services currently scheduled by [...]

joe2024-03-19T21:02:54-04:00March 20, 2024|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 8-14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The Biden administration this week released its proposed FY 2025 federal budget. Health care highlights include: Making permanent the expanded health care premium tax credits introduced to make health insurance marketplace plans more affordable for middle-class Americans. Extension of coverage similar to Medicaid to residents of the 10 states that have not taken advantage of the Affordable Care Act opportunity to expand their Medicaid programs. Permission for states to extend [...]

joe2024-03-14T20:46:56-04:00March 14, 2024|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

MedPAC Meets

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission met publicly last week in Washington, D.C. Their agenda consisted of the following issues: Rural hospital and clinician payment policy: A workplan for 2024–2025 Assessing data sources for measuring health care utilization by Medicare Advantage enrollees: Encounter data and other sources Preliminary analysis of Medicare Advantage quality Medicare’s Acute Hospital Care at Home program Update on trends and issues in Medicare inpatient psychiatric services Go here for a brief overview of each agenda item and links to the staff presentations on those issues and here for a transcript of the two-day meeting. MedPAC [...]

joe2024-03-13T16:10:33-04:00March 14, 2024|Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 1-7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress On Wednesday, March 16 the House passed, by a vote of 339-85, the first package of spending bills to fund some federal agencies through the remainder of the 2024 federal fiscal year. The House bills include several health care provisions extending programs that were set to expire on Friday, March 8. The bills would extend the following provisions and programs through December 31, 2024: The continued delay of cuts to Medicaid disproportionate [...]

joe2024-03-07T21:42:53-05:00March 7, 2024|Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 29

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 23-29. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress This afternoon the House passed H.R. 7463, which changed the dates for the March 1 and March 8 funding deadlines to March 8 and March 22 and includes no new health care policies. Health care extenders included in the current continuing resolution, including the delay to Medicaid DSH cuts, are not included in the bill that passed the House; the March 8 expiration date still applies to those extenders. The new continuing [...]

joe2024-02-29T22:41:47-05:00February 29, 2024|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for January 25

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for January 12 - 25. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services – Funding Models HHS has announced a new model to test approaches for addressing the behavioral and physical health and health-related social needs of people with Medicaid and Medicare. The goal of the Innovation in Behavioral Health Model (IBH) is to improve the overall quality of care and outcomes for adults with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders by connecting them with the physical, behavioral, [...]

joe2024-01-25T22:30:26-05:00January 25, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, social determinants of health, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for January 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for January 12-16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Medicaid DSH With a partial government shutdown looming on Friday, January 19, congressional leaders have agreed to extend the current stopgap legislation temporarily funding the federal government. Under this agreement, the four spending bills scheduled to expire this Friday would be extended until March 1 and the eight bills set to expire on February 2 would be extended until March 8. The appropriations bill that funds health and human services is included [...]

joe2024-01-17T18:49:52-05:00January 18, 2024|hospitals, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

MedPAC Meets, Finalizes 2025 Payment Recommendations

2025 Medicare payments led the agenda at last week’s meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. After hearing presentations on the various Medicare payment systems and discussing the adequacy of current Medicare reimbursement, MedPAC’s commissioners voted to recommend the following changes in 2025 Medicare payments. Inpatient and outpatient services – an update provided for in current law plus 1.5 percent and a shift to a safety-net index policy that would pay safety-net hospitals another $4 billion. Physicians and other health professionals – an increase of 50 percent of the Medicare economic index and introduction of an add-on payment for services [...]

joe2024-01-16T14:22:30-05:00January 16, 2024|hospitals, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|