The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:45 p.m. on Friday, January 28.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Provider Relief Fund

• HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that this week they made more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 7,600 providers.  Nearly $11 billion of the $17 billion allocated for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments have now been distributed.  Phase 4 payments have an increased focus on equity, including reimbursing a higher percentage of losses for smaller providers and incorporating bonus payments for providers that serve Medicaid, CHIP, and Medicare beneficiaries.  Approximately 82 percent of all Phase 4 applications have now been processed.  Learn more from this HHS news release.
• HRSA has updated the Provider Relief Fund FAQ with 11 new questions and answers.  The new information, found on pages 29, 30 (three questions), 31 (three questions), 38 (three questions), and 39 primarily address financial reporting requirements.
• The reconsideration window for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments and American Rescue Plan rural hospital payments will open on February 1, 2022,

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Monday, January 24.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Provider Relief Fund

• The reconsideration window for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments and American Rescue Plan rural hospital payments will open on February 1, 2022, at which time providers will be able to request reconsideration of their payments.  This process is intended only for providers that believe their payment was not calculated correctly.  They will not have an opportunity to submit an application if they missed a deadline; will not be able to revise or correct their original application; and will not be able to request reconsideration that would require a change to payment methodology or policy.  Learn more from this Provider Relief Fund web page.

White House

• The White House has posted a transcript of the January 21 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials.  Go here to see the slides presented during the briefing.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

COVID-19

• CMS has published an FAQ on its enforcement of its requirement that health care workers that serve Medicare

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Public Health Emergency Declaration Renewed

• HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has renewed his department’s declaration of a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The renewal took effect on January 16 and extends the declaration for three months.  Find the declaration here.

Free COVID-19 Tests and Masks

• Upon request, the federal government is now providing four free monthly home COVID-19 tests to every household.  Order those tests here.
• The administration will make 400 million N95 respirators from the Strategic National Stockpile free to Americans. The N95 respirators will be available for the public to pick up at local pharmacies and health centers.  The masks will begin shipping this week and will start to become available late next week.  The notice is posted here.

White House

The White House has issued a fact sheet elaborating on several recent policy developments:

• How individuals may get free COVID-19 tests delivered to their homes.
• Additional information about the new requirement that health insurers must cover the cost of

The  federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has published its annual report on health care disparities.

The report, “National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report,” is mandated by Congress “… to provide a comprehensive overview of the quality of healthcare received by the general U.S. population and disparities in care experienced by different racial and socioeconomic groups.”

Find the report here.…

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, January 13.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court has ruled that the administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers will remain in effect while the mandate is challenged in the lower courts.  See the court’s ruling here.

White House

• The White House has announced new efforts to protect children from COVID-19 and keep schools open.  The new measures include:
  • Sending more point-of-care and lab-based PCR tests to schools.
  • Deploying federal surge testing units at community testing sites to support free testing access for students, school staff, and families.
  • Connecting schools with COVID-19 testing providers to set up school testing programs.
  • Providing new training, resources, and materials.

Learn more from this White House fact sheet.

• The White House has posted a transcript of the January 12 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials.  Go here to see the slides presented during the briefing.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

MedPAC met today and voted on its recommendations for Medicare payment updates for the next fiscal year.  The …