Melanie MacEachern, Author at The Hertel Report

Melanie MacEachern

Freelance writer with skills and knowledge in healthcare policy, reproductive justice and art history. Skilled administrative assistant. Graduated from University of Michigan.

Author's Posts

MedPAC Report Wants to Streamline APMs Even Further and Reduce MA Overspending

Last Wednesday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) published its biennial report to Congress which included recommendations to streamline alternative payment models (APMs) within the Medicare program. It also recommended a strategy to improve accuracy in Medicare Advantage (MA) payments and correct a major contributor to...

Efforts to Curb the Effects of Medical Debt Are Gaining Steam

The American insurance-based health care industry certainly has downsides, but none so notorious and archaic as medical debt. Nearly one in five U.S. households have medical debt, and as a result many Americans have lost their homes, assets, had their credit scores lowered beyond repair or been denied subsequent health...

Arizona News

AZ Lawmakers Interrogate ADHS Director Over Auditor General's Nursing Home Complaint Report

Following the devastating report from the Arizona Auditor General in May, Arizona lawmakers held ADHS interim director Don Herrington's feet to the fire for nearly three hours last Thursday, searching for answers to the damning questions raised by the report. The Arizona Department of Health Services is accused of not following...

Arizona News

President Biden Signs Executive Order on LGBTQ Health Care Protections

The political landscape for gay, lesbian, queer and especially transgender individuals has been fraught throughout 2022, with a wide range of anti-LGBTQ+ healthcare bills storming through state legislatures across the country. These include directives to prohibit gender-affirming healthcare services for minors in several states,...

COVID-19 Update June 16, 2022 - Cases Still on the Rise in Arizona

This week in Arizona there were 16,334 new recorded cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths, according to the Arizona Daily Star. In Pima County alone, there were three new deaths and 2,451 new cases. The Arizona Republic reports that Wednesday's new case count amounts to the highest case report since the Arizona Department of Health Services...

SCOTUS Sides With AHA on 340B Prescription Drug Program

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sided with the American Hospital Association (AHA) against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a case that challenged a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rule that would have cut outpatient drug payments for hospitals that treat Medicaid enrollees and...

CMS Rules

Biden Administration Mulls Medicaid Direct Care Spending Mandate as Nursing Shortage Continues

As nursing homes across the country are grappling with staff shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration is considering a rule that nursing homes spend most of their Medicaid payments on direct care for residents rather than operations or capital improvements. According to Modern Healthcare, the rule would...

CMS Rules

Hospital Price Transparency Rule Compliance Remains Low as CMS Moves to Begin Penalties

The hospital price transparency rule, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and went into effect on January 1, 2021, is largely being ignored by hospitals who would prefer to absorb any financial penalty than comply. CMS has only started to impose fines as of last Wednesday, according to an agency email, but...

Arizona News

COVID-19 Update: June 9, 2022

COVID-19 cases are on the uptick in Arizona, again. But Moderna announced the production of a vaccine that would target the Omicron variant and are returning strong immunity results. The American Medical Association (AMA) has formally defended the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Arizona...

Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds Get Short-Term Relief from Pandemic Economic Changes, Maintain Grave Outlook Long Term

Last Thursday, the Social Security and Medicare boards of trustees released their annual reports on each program and reported that the economic recovery was much stronger than anticipated following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, both programs will still face long-term concerns that could reduce retirement benefits and reduce...

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Senate Passes Bill to Extend VA Benefits to Veterans Exposed to Toxic Chemicals