As the government shutdown continues with no clear end in sight, the extension of subsidies to stabilize skyrocketing ACA premiums approaches a November 1 deadline, when the open enrollment period (OEP) for 2026 goes live. Meanwhile, other areas of the industry are suffering as the government remains closed.
Enhanced subsidies for...Arizona News
On Sept. 18, 2025, a coalition of Democratic congresspeople introduced the Patients Over Profits Act, which would bar insurers and their subsidiaries from owning Medicare Part C or D providers, require divestitures of existing holdings, and prevent the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from contracting with Medicare...National News
Republicans are on the defensive against criticism of the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump earlier this summer.
Representative David Schweikert of Arizona told the Arizona Republic in an interview that the cuts were simply the responsible thing to do and will...National News
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new initiative to ensure Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees meet federal citizenship and immigration requirements.
Under the policy, CMS will send states monthly reports listing individuals whose status could not be confirmed through...News
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) this month released the final tally of the number of people expected to lose Medicaid coverage under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and private companies are gearing up to facilitate the implementation of the new law.
Hospitals are bracing for major revenue losses and declining margins as lost...National News
Federal work requirements contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) may conflict with the work requirement programs that some states, including Arizona, were already planning to implement themselves.
For example, the Arizona work requirement proposal includes an additional measure banning "able-bodied adults" from receiving...Arizona News
The Trump administration’s priorities for cutting Medicaid are coming into focus, as CMS proposes new limits on provider taxes and congressional Republicans revise their reconciliation bill to also include restrictions.
On Monday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to restrict states' ability to collect...
This week, Congressional Republicans continue the search for Medicaid tax cuts, this time by returning to reductions of the federal match and the implementation of a per capita spending cap to the negotiating table. It remains clear that Medicaid work requirements alone will be insufficient for total cuts, especially as plan utilization...
The waiver application aligns with Arizona legislation passed in 2015 that requires AHCCCS to request (annually) the federal agency's approval to institute a work requirement for all “able-bodied adults” receiving Medicaid services, place a lifetime limit of five years of Medicaid benefits on “able-bodied adults” and develop and...National News
Superior HealthPlan CEO Mark Sanders was dismissed hours after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into the insurer’s alleged surveillance of state lawmakers and others. The abrupt leadership change comes as parent company Centene faces mounting scrutiny, including a recent Wall Street Journal report that found it...Arizona News
Last Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget blueprint that includes $880 billion in spending cuts for programs overseen by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. While the expectation is that cuts will impact Medicaid, there is little specificity on what they would mean for the program and the shape of the...Arizona News
Arizona lawmakers are considering bills that would affect the healthcare of nearly every Arizonan, on topics ranging from abortion, to Medicaid work requirements, to AI use in healthcare.
Last Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban the use of AI algorithms in the determination of medical claims by 58-0. ...
Congressional Republicans appear to be gearing up to make major cuts to Medicaid in the upcoming round of consolidated appropriations.
Republican lawmakers have made no secret of their desire to roll back the Medicaid expansion enabled by the Affordable Care Act. Critics of expansion have deemed the program a financial waste and a...
President Donald Trump wasted no time after being sworn in on Monday to issue a sweeping executive order rolling back dozens of President Joe Biden's priorities. Republican lawmakers also have a number of healthcare program cuts, including the elimination of non-profit hospitals to fund the new administration's agenda.
The "initial...National News
A new report from Georgetown University looks into the role played by Medicaid in rural healthcare delivery and finds that rural medical services rely on Medicaid funding.
The report found that non-Medicare eligible adults and children in rural areas were more likely than those in metro areas to use Medicaid or CHIP for their health...National News
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are passing around a draft bill that they say would eliminate more than $5 trillion in spending that they could use to pay for incoming President Donald Trump's priorities. The potential spending offsets includes massive changes to Medicare, Medicaid cuts and a "reimagining" of the...National News
Are low payment rates the reason physicians don't take Medicaid payments? MACPAC seeks to answer that question in MACPACs first issue brief of the new year.
Medicaid physician payment rates are increasingly gaining the attention of lawmakers, so when MACPAC advises Congress on Medicaid and CHIP policy, it's worthy of attention....National News
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published its analysis of maternal and perinatal health outcomes in live births covered by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for 2021.
The data brief is part of the CMS effort to tackle health disparities and worsening maternal health outcomes in the U.S.,...Top of The Day
Public support for Medicare is strong, while Medicare Advantage represents half of all Medicare beneficiaries. The differences between these programs require adjustment through policy as the solvency of the Trust Fund comes into question and Medicare spending becomes a target for a new administration that has pledged austerity.
The...Arizona News
Although the topic of Medicaid was largely left out of both campaigns this election cycle, the incoming Trump administration is expected to make some major policy changes to the safety net health program now covering 69 million Americans.
Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are likely bargaining chips to make...
