Posted
on May 5, 2022
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.
Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have awarded nearly $25 million to 125 HRSA-funded health centers to improve and strengthen access to school-based health services. Awards will support local partnerships between schools and health centers to provide children and youth with comprehensive physical and mental health care. Learn more from this HHS news release.
- HHS and its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have announced $55 million in funding for SAMHSA’s Tribal Opioid Response grant program. The grant program seeks to address the overdose crisis in tribal communities by increasing access to FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid misuse and supporting prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services for opioid and stimulant misuse and co-occurring mental and substance use conditions. Funding will be provided each year for up to 150 grantees over a two-year project period beginning late FY 2022. Learn more about the program from this HHS news release and learn more about
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Filed under:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
Coronavirus,
COVID-19,
MACPAC,
Medicaid,
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission,
Medicare,
Medicare post-acute care,
Medicare regulations,
Medicare reimbursement policy,
MedPAC
Posted
on April 7, 2022
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.
White House
- The administration is proposing to address a flaw in the Affordable Care Act often referred to as the “family glitch.” Under the ACA, people who do not have access to “affordable” health insurance through their jobs may qualify for a premium tax credit to purchase coverage on the ACA’s health insurance marketplaces.
Current regulations define employer-based health insurance as “affordable” if the coverage for the employee alone is considered affordable; if the coverage for the employee is considered affordable but if it is not considered affordable for the employee’s family, those family members are not eligible for a premium tax credit. This “family glitch” affects about five million people.
The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are proposing to eliminate the family glitch so that family members of workers who are offered affordable coverage only for themselves but not for their family may qualify for premium tax credits to buy ACA coverage. Should this change be made, an estimated 200,000 uninsured people would gain coverage …
Filed under:
Affordable Care Act,
Alternative payment models,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
CMMI,
Coronavirus,
COVID-19,
MACPAC,
Medicaid,
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission,
Medicare,
Medicare post-acute care,
Medicare regulations,
Medicare reimbursement policy,
MedPAC,
Telehealth
Posted
on April 1, 2022
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.
Provider Relief Fund
- After April 5, this program also will stop accepting claims for administering vaccines to uninsured individuals. See this notice for further information about both deadlines for submitting claims.
Proposed Medicare Payment Regulations for FY 2023
- CMS has published its proposed inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system and IRF quality reporting program for FY 2023. The agency proposes a 2.8 percent net increase in Medicare rates; a permanent cap of five percent on year-over-year wage index losses for any reason; an increase from $9491 to $13,038 in the outlier threshold; and changes in the IRF quality reporting program in future years – but not 2023 – that address patient vaccinations and health equity. CMS also is soliciting comments on incorporating discharge to home health in an IRF transfer policy. Learn more from this CMS news release and from the proposed rule itself. Interested parties have until May 31 to submit formal comments.
- CMS has published its proposed FY 2023 Medicare hospice payment rule, which
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Posted
on March 30, 2022
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.
Provider Relief Fund
- The Provider Relief Fund last week distributed more than $413 million to more than 3600 providers across the country, the fourth round of Phase 4 payments since those payments began last November. This is in addition to nearly $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments over the past four months. HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which administers the Provider Relief Fund, has now processed 89 percent of the applications it received for Phase 4 grants and HHS reports that “Remaining applications require additional manual review and HRSA is working to process them as quickly as possible.” Learn more about this latest round of Phase 4 Provider Relief Fund grants and find links to a state-by-state breakdown of payments and a list of all recipients in this HHS news release.
- The Provider Relief Fund Uninsured Program, which has reimbursed providers at Medicare rates for testing uninsured individuals for COVID-19 and treating those diagnosed with the virus, has stopped accepting such claims
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Filed under:
Accountable Care Organization,
ACO,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
CMMI,
Congress,
Coronavirus,
COVID-19,
MACPAC,
Medicaid,
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission,
Medicare reimbursement policy
Posted
on March 16, 2022
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.
Provider Relief Fund
- On March 22, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program will stop accepting claims for testing and treatment due to lack of funds. On April 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program and COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund will stop accepting vaccination claims due to a lack of funds. See the announcement of these changes.
- Providers that received Provider Relief Fund payments of more than $10,000 in the aggregate between July 1 and December 31, 2020 must report on their use of those funds to HHS by March 31. For information about reporting requirements, forms, reporting instructions, and more on what the agency refers to as “Reporting Period 2,” go here.
White House
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Filed under:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
Coronavirus,
COVID-19,
hospitals,
MACPAC,
Medicaid,
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission,
Medicaid disproportionate share,
Medicaid DSH,
Medicaid DSH allotments,
Medicaid upper-payment limit,
Medicare post-acute care,
Medicare reimbursement policy,
MedPAC
