The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) proposal to raise the national debt ceiling. The deal includes a requirement that certain Medicaid beneficiaries work or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to continue receiving health insurance.
Roughly 21 million Medicaid...
The Commonwealth Fund, a private research foundation that promotes health care reform and overall health care system improvement, published a report Tuesday that targets key steps for policymakers in expanding health coverage and affordability.
The report, Next Steps in Expanding Health Coverage and Affordability, looks at the...
On Thursday, the Biden administration rejected work requirements for Medicaid recipients in Georgia, the last state with a federal waiver from the Trump administration for such restrictions.
Though the Trump administration had previously approved work requirements for 17 states, including Arizona, in February 2021, Centers for...National News
Six months into the Biden presidency, the newly guided federal government continues to do whatever it can to provide Medicaid coverage for more Americans.
CMS urged states last week to quell fears in immigrant communities about Medicaid and CHIP enrollment that stem from a now-defunct Trump administration policy. The so-called...National News
This week, HHS announced that a record 80 million Americans have health insurance through either Medicaid or CHIP. That number increased by 10 million, or 14%, during the pandemic.
HHS attributed the fast growth in Medicaid and CHIP enrollment to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provided states with extra...News
The Biden administration is looking into making more payment models offered through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) mandatory in the future as it moves forward on value-based care coverage.
Over the past 10 years, CMMI has tested 54 models and only five have been shown to produce effective cost savings for the...Arizona News
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a 25% drop in premiums for new enrollees on HealthCare.gov. During the 2021 special enrollment period, and as a result of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, nearly 940,000 enrollees have joined plans offered on the exchange, according to Healthpayer Intelligence....
Under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Medicaid expansion and 12-month continuous eligibility for pregnant and postpartum women will play an important role in ensuring continuity of care and aid in combatting disparities in maternal mortality rates.
During the pandemic, pregnant women and new mothers have had to navigate virtual...
Insurance giant UnitedHealth revealed its policy recommendation package “The Path Forward To A Next-Generation Health System” last week, a reform proposal that states could use via the Affordable Care Act’s waiver authority to move low-income exchange enrollees into a Medicaid buy-in program.
In Arizona, UnitedHealthcare covers...National News
As the Affordable Care Act turns 10 years old, the country looks back on its successes and controversies -- and looks forward to its uncertain future.
One thing most can agree on: it has transformed healthcare in America.
Matt Eyles, the CEO of the lobbying group America’s Health Insurance Plans, spoke with FierceHealthcare...National News
In a surprise move, the DOJ has changed its stance on Texas v Azar and is "not urging any portion of the district court's judgement be reversed" but, in Dec. 2018 the agency told the court that while it agreed the individual mandate was not valid it would defend other parts of the Affordable Care Act, just not community rating and...Arizona News
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), statistics on healthcare coverage noted a closure of the gap in the number of people of various races and ethnicity who have health insurance, but a Kaiser Family Foundation brief has highlighted trends indicating that between 2016 and 2017, some groups of color have experienced a stagnation in health...Arizona News
Last month, a global stock market sell-off sent the S&P 500 into dangerous waters, having analysts discussing potential bear market climates but stocks rallied this week and healthcare was leading the numbers following the midterm elections.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released an analysis today regarding the effects midterm...National News
In the mid-term election, voters in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah voted to expand Medicaid eligibility to about 300,000; Montana voters rejected a new funding option for its expansion program.Medicaid expansion is now available in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Idaho's measure won by 22 points and is expected to extend Medicaid...National News
The Trump administration approved Wisconsin's waiver request to impose Medicaid work requirements, marking the first "okay" granted for a state that has yet to expand its Medicaid eligibility.
The work requirement is based on achieving at least 80 hours a month working, in school, in job training or doing volunteer community...Arizona News
Hospitals say getting paid for previously uninsured folks has saved them from potential closure. The Goldwater Institute says hospitals are raking in the dough by also raising rates on the commercial side.The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) publishes a report that tracks uncompensated care trends for Arizona...News
AzHHA releases financial information which includes improved overall operating income and continued stability in uncompensated care.The report focuses on the impact Medicaid expansion has had on lowering uncompensated care. Also included are stats about overall AHCCCS enrollment (falling), the hospital assessment and childless adults...National News
Published in Health Affairs this week, authors test a theory that Medicaid expansion prevents hospital closures.
Hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act were about six times less likely to close than hospitals in non-expansion states. In AHA Today, we learn Medicaid expansion was associated with...News
Plaintiff Goldwater Institute said the money the legislature used to fund the expanded Medicaid program was actually a tax and should have received a two-thirds vote that the state constitution requires of all revenue-raising measures.
The Phoenix Business Journal quotes Greg Vigdor, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and...National News
The Commonwealth Fund looked at black-white and Hispanic-white differences in healthcare issues.
The study looked at the years 2013-2015. The study found racial disparities in the percentage of uninsured adults, the percentage of adults who skip care due to cost and the percentage of adults who lack a primary care provider were...