Federal Health Policy Update for October 1
Don’t Miss: CMS partners with 37 states to launch Medicaid quality initiative CMS fleshes out GLOBE Model Medicare Part D Claims Data 340B Repository goes live The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September [...]
MACPAC Meets
Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of the meeting: MACPAC’s September 2026 meeting began with a discussion around community engagement (CE) requirements in Medicaid. [...]
Imminent Changes in Medicaid Eligibility for Immigrants
Come October 1, immigrants seeking Medicaid benefits – including lawful immigrants – will face a new array of eligibility criteria and requirements. KFF has presented a broad look at those new criteria, ushered in as a result of last year’s [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for September 24
Don’t Miss: CMS plans major cuts in Medicare clinical lab payments Administration reconsiders shifting NIH grant decisions to White House All states enroll in CMS model to reduce prices of selected Medicaid-covered drugs The following is the latest health policy [...]
CMS Eyes Major Cuts in Medicare Clinical Lab Rates
Medicare payments for clinical laboratory services will soon be coming down. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is working to bring Medicare’s clinical laboratory services rates into line with those paid by commercial insurers. Asserting that Medicare is now [...]
Immigrant Families Skipping Health Care for Kids
Immigrant families with children appear to be avoiding seeking health care over concern about their immigration status, according to a new survey of pediatricians. The survey, conducted on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that: Forty percent of [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for September 17
Don’t Miss: CMS advises on “medical frailty” as qualification for Medicaid eligibility CMS unveils long-anticipated IDR Gateway Medicare ACCESS Model to expand The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September 11-17. Some of [...]
Hospitals Continue to Struggle with Price Transparency
Since the beginning of 2021, hospitals have been required to make their prices transparent to the public. Five years later, roughly half of them do – more than at any point since the requirement took effect. But that also means [...]
CMS Fleshes Out “Medical Frailty” Criterion for Medicaid Eligibility
When Congress included major reductions in Medicaid eligibility in last year’s budget reconciliation bill – H.R. 1, often referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” – it included one criterion for Medicaid eligibility that immediately proved challenging. While [...]
The Declining Number of Hospital Maternity Units
The number of hospitals with maternity units has been declining for years – and there is reason to fear that decline will continue in the near future. According to a recent analysis: More than 700 hospitals closed their maternity units [...]
