“Oh Say Can We See?”: Ways & Means Leaders Seek CMMI Transparency
The chairman and ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee have written to CMS administrator Seema Verma to ask her to address the lack of transparency in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. In the bipartisan letter, [...]
Could Medicaid Buy-In Push Aside Medicare for All?
Officials in ten states are giving consideration, in one form or another, to permitting uninsured low-income residents to buy into their Medicaid programs. So while Washington considers the possibility of Medicare for all, the ten states – Nevada, New Mexico, [...]
NASH Comments Proposed Medicaid Managed Care Reg
The National Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals has submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in response to CMS’s proposed changes in federal Medicaid managed care regulations. NASH’s letter addressed three aspects of the proposed regulation: [...]
End Run Around Congress for Medicaid Block Grants?
The Trump administration reportedly is considering introducing Medicaid block grants through regulations rather than legislation, according to published reports. Those reports explain that the administration may seek to offer states an opportunity to apply to the federal government to use [...]
NASH Unveils 2019 Agenda
The National Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals has unveiled its public policy advocacy agenda for 2019. That agenda explains that NASH will: Address Medicare issues such as continuing threats to private safety-net hospitals’ Medicare DSH payments, audits of the Medicare cost [...]
Readmissions Reduction Program Results Overstated?
A new study suggests that the encouraging results of Medicare’s hospital readmissions reduction program may not actually be as encouraging as people thought. According to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs, data on reduced readmissions may be [...]
Court Rejects 340B Cuts
A federal court has ruled that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services overstepped its authority in reducing Medicare payments for prescription drugs covered by the section 340B prescription drug discount program. While the court conceded that CMS has the [...]
Medicaid MCOs Skimping on Care?
Medicaid MCOs may be skimping on care, according to a recent Kaiser Health News report. According to Kaiser, for-profit companies that sub-contract with Medicaid managed care organizations to review requests for services often deny care to Medicaid patients to save [...]
CMS to Create New Office for Regulatory Reform
In 2019 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services intends to create a new office to address regulatory reform. CMS administrator Seema Verma recently announced her intention to create this office, but other than saying its priority would be to [...]
Feds Urge States to Do More for Dually Eligible
In a formal guidance letter to state Medicaid directors, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has outlined ten ways that states can better serve individuals who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. Noting that such dually eligible individuals [...]
