A New Use for Section 1115 Medicaid Waivers?
Historically, states have pursued section 1115 Medicaid waivers as a means of expanding Medicaid eligibility. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services now appears to be looking at granting 1115 waivers to help states reduce their Medicaid populations. According [...]
Administration Lays Groundwork for Medicaid Work Requirements
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued guidelines for states interested in adding a work requirement component to their Medicaid programs. With nearly a dozen states applying to implement controversial Medicaid work requirements, CMS has issued a guidance [...]
NAUH Seeks Action on Medicaid DSH, 340B
The National Association of Urban Hospitals has written to leaders of the House and Senate asking them to reverse implementation of Affordable Care Act-mandated cuts in Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (Medicaid DSH) allotments to state and to block implementation of [...]
CMS Unveils New Bundled Payment Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced the launch of a new bundled payment model called “Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced.” Under this new program – participation in which will be voluntary – participants can, as CMS [...]
E&C Calls for Action on 340B
The section 340B prescription drug program has flaws and needs change, a report by the House Energy and Commerce Committee has concluded. The program, which requires pharmaceutical companies to provide discounts on prescription drugs to be dispensed on an outpatient [...]
Medicaid Expansion Helps Save Hospitals
Hospitals in states that took advantage of the Affordable Care Act to expand their Medicaid programs are six times less likely to close than hospitals in non-expansion states. And the impact of Medicaid expansion is even more beneficial for hospitals [...]
Report Looks at Work Requirements
As a growing number of states consider implementing work requirements as a condition for Medicaid eligibility, the Urban Institute has released a report that describes work requirements in various government cash assistance, nutrition assistance, and housing assistance programs and considers [...]
Medicare Penalizes Hospitals for Avoidable Injuries, Illnesses
Medicare is reducing payments to 751 hospitals because of the high rate at which their patients have suffered avoidable injuries and illnesses while in the hospital. The penalties come under Medicare’s Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, which was established by the [...]
The Continued Need for Medicaid DSH
While the Affordable Care Act has greatly increased the number of Americans with health insurance and reduced the demand for uncompensated care from hospitals, many hospitals still see significant numbers of uninsured patients. Some of those patients simply have not [...]
Medicaid Directors Meet
The National Association of Medicaid Directors held its fall conference recently outside Washington, D.C. This is an important event at which policy-makers and policy experts meet to discuss Medicaid programs, trends, challenges, and opportunities. Many of the materials used during [...]
