New Book Addresses Social Risk Factors in Medicare
In the new book Accounting for Social Risk Factors in Medicare Payment, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine addresses the question of what social risk factors might be worth considering in Medicare value-based payment programs and how those [...]
Medicare’s Costs Can Be High for Low-Income Beneficiaries
Despite enjoying Medicare coverage, low-income seniors can still spend a significant portion of their limited income on costs Medicare does not cover. According to a new study published by the Commonwealth Fund, more than 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries spend [...]
Hospital Uncompensated Care Down
As was surely expected, reforms introduced through implementation of the Affordable Care Act have driven down uncompensated care costs for many hospitals. How much? A new study published by the Commonwealth Fund offers the following findings: uncompensated care declines in [...]
More Insured Didn’t Affect Access
When the Affordable Care Act was debated and then passed, some observers questioned whether the health care system had enough providers to care for the millions of additional people who would be gaining coverage through the reform law. In particular, [...]
MACPAC Meets
Last week the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met in Washington, D.C. The agency performs policy and data analysis and offers recommendations to Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the states. During two days of [...]
NAUH Urges House to Reject American Health Care Act
The National Association of Urban Hospitals has asked members of the House of Representatives to vote against the American Health Care Act. In a message to all House members, NAUH cited the increase in the number of uninsured the bill [...]
Health Reform Helps Hospitals in Medicaid Expansion States
The Affordable Care Act’s enhancement of access to health insurance, whether through Medicaid expansion or the subsidization of insurance premiums for working-class and some middle-class Americans, has improved the financial health of hospitals. Especially hospitals in Medicaid expansion states. According [...]
Medicaid Work Requirements
Both Congress and a number of states have discussed introducing work requirements into their Medicaid programs. Such a proposal was part of the American Health Care Act, a number of governors and state legislators have discussed work requirements as a [...]
Medicaid Per Capita Caps Explained
In a new report, the Commonwealth Fund looks at Medicaid per capita caps, an idea that has been discussed for years, that was part of the as-yet unsuccessful American Health Care Act, and a proposal that is almost certain to [...]
New MACPAC Reports
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission has released several new reports, including: a look at how states exercise flexibility in their individual Medicaid programs; methodologies for setting Medicaid per capita caps; a review of how states are addressing [...]
