The Latest CMS Efforts on Prior Authorization
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continues to work tackling the challenges posed by health insurers that insist they will not pay for certain medical services unless they authorize those services beforehand. In a new blog post, CMS Administrator [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for May 7
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 1-7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Congress hopes to pass a reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs [...]
States Continue to Prep for Medicaid Eligibility Changes
With last year’s budget reconciliation bill – also known as H.R. 1 and the “Big Beautiful Bill Act” – requiring most Medicaid beneficiaries to have jobs or participate in community engagement activities beginning next year, the states continue to develop [...]
HHS to Attack Overprescribing of Psychiatric Drugs
The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a campaign to reduce the frequency with which providers prescribe drugs for patients with behavioral health challenges. The new campaign, announced earlier this week, will seek to analyze prescribing patterns for [...]
ASH Urges CMS to Support Public-Private Partnerships to Aid Medicaid Eligibility Redeterminations
In a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator Daniel Brillman, the Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals encouraged CMS to “…enable states to enter into public/private partnerships to leverage private funds to support their efforts to comply with [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for April 30
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 24-30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Yesterday, House Republicans adopted the Senate’s budget resolution, clearing the way for [...]
Some States Seek to Expand Medicaid Work Requirements
While last year’s H.R. 1, often referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Act Bill,” introduced a requirement that Medicaid applicants document that they have worked, attended school, or participated in some form of community engagement for one month as [...]
Feds End Support for Fentanyl Test Strips
The federal government will no longer help states pay for fentanyl test strips. This was among several messages included in a “Dear Colleague” letter sent late last week by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to [...]
Medicare Innovations Foster Focus on Behavioral Health
A number of recent changes in the Medicare program appear designed to make it easier for beneficiaries to pursue behavioral health assistance. Among them: A greater focus on the integration of physical and behavioral health. A greater willingness to pay [...]
Federal Health Policy Update for April 23
The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 17-23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House President Trump has issued an executive order calling for accelerated [...]
