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Federal Health Policy Update for May 11

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 5-11. 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 following expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency today. 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 sent a memo to state Medicaid and CHIP [...]

iqtsupport2023-05-11T14:13:44-04:00May 11, 2023|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 4

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 28 – May 4. 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. The COVID-19 public health [...]

iqtsupport2023-05-04T17:25:59-04:00May 4, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

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|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 8 – 20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The Biden administration has announced a plan to expand health coverage for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) individuals. To this end, it announced that HHS will soon propose a rule amending the definition of “lawful presence,” for purposes of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage, to include DACA recipients. If finalized, the rule would make DACA individuals eligible for these programs for the first time. Under the proposed rule, [...]

iqtsupport2023-04-20T17:24:28-04:00April 20, 2023|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 13-16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) MedPAC has published its “March 2023 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy.” In this year’s report MedPAC considers the context of the Medicare program, including the near-term consequences of COVID-19 and the longer-term effects of program spending on the federal budget and the program’s financial sustainability. It evaluates payment adequacy and make recommendations concerning Medicare payment policy in 2024 for selected fee-for-service payment systems but explains that [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-16T17:31:47-04:00March 16, 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, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, March 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 6-10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House FY 2024 Budget Proposal The Biden administration this week released its proposed FY 2024 federal budget. Among its many proposals are measures to extend the life of the Medicare hospital trust fund and reduce Medicare beneficiaries’ health care costs; to reduce prescription drug costs for consumers, Medicare, and Medicaid; to return high Medicaid managed care organization profits to the federal government; to make behavioral health care more affordable for seniors; to [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-10T15:57:42-05:00March 10, 2023|340b, Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 27 to March 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act The Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) entities empowered by the No Surprises Act to adjudicate disagreements between providers and payers may resume their work – but only some of it. CMS has directed IDRs entities to resume processing payment determinations on February 27 for disputes involving items or services furnished before October 25, 2022 but not to issue decisions involving items or services furnished on or after October [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-03T13:20:02-05:00March 3, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 23

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 17-23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has issued an informational bulletin to states reiterating certain federal requirements that pertain to health care-related taxes. Recently, CMS became aware that some health care-related tax programs appear to involve agreements among providers to redistribute their Medicaid payments to hold taxpayers harmless for the cost of the tax. The bulletin reminds states that such arrangements are prohibited. Find the CMS bulletin here. CMS has posted a [...]

iqtsupport2023-02-23T15:53:32-05:00February 23, 2023|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicare, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 6-16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act A federal judge in Texas has vacated parts of a regulation governing the arbitration process that is a major aspect of implementation of the No Surprises Act. In his ruling, the judge found that the arbitration process unfairly favored payers over providers, most notably by placing undue emphasis on the qualified payment amount (QPA) that is a major part of the arbitration process. The decision explains that “The Court first [...]

iqtsupport2023-02-16T17:02:31-05:00February 16, 2023|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations|

Federal Health Policy Update for February 6

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of January 23 to February 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. 340B Pharmaceutical companies may restrict the ability of providers to use specialty and community pharmacies to distribute 340B-covered drugs, a federal appeals court has decided. See the court’s ruling here. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has revised its fact sheets about COVID-19 public health emergency waivers and flexibilities for different types of providers, updating which waivers and flexibilities have already been terminated, which have been [...]

iqtsupport2023-02-06T17:03:31-05:00February 6, 2023|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|