Hospitals and providers participating in Medicare quality value-based purchasing programs received unprecedented relief on Sunday from a Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcement that relaxes reporting requirements and extends data submission deadlines.
The action is part of the Trump Administration's response...News
Three major hospital groups penned a letter, addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urging Congress to suspend the mandated Medicare sequester for the duration of the pandemic.
Established by the Budget Control Act in 2011, the federal sequester cuts government spending by more than $1 trillion for the 2021 fiscal year and it would...National News
As the number of coronavirus cases rises, so does concern about cost of treating the projected 27 million Americans without health coverage. The Trump administration, specifically the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), have participated in discussions and congressional...
On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) agreed to hear oral arguments in a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act brought by Republican attorneys general from Texas and eighteen other states with support from the Trump Administration.
The petitions granted ask the Supreme Court to review a United States...
With two-thirds of U.S. Medicaid beneficiaries receiving care from managed care organizations, private insurers are unlikely to suffer from the Medicaid block grant plan.
A majority of states contract with MCOs to provide coverage and the government space is still perceived as a prime growth strategy for large insurers such as...Arizona News
The 2021 federal budget proposal was unforgiving to the healthcare industry, which took a $1 trillion cut into Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) over the next decade.
Trump's budget, unveiled on Monday, outlines $4.8 trillion in spending, with industries such as defense getting a major slice of the pie. Medicare changes...
The Trump Administration's rollout of its new Medicaid block grant policy, dubbed "Healthy Adult Opportunity" was met with backlash from House Democrats, who are moving to vote on a resolution next week that would disapprove the plan.
Block grants give states fixed federal grants to use toward Medicaid spending based on individual...
The Trump administration is reportedly slated to introduce guidance for granting states waivers to block grant Medicaid dollars.
According to Wall Street Journal reporting, federal officials are expected to release guidance this month as many healthcare professionals continue to express concern and criticism over a block grant...National News
On January 21, the Supreme Court denied a motion to expedite a case requesting a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The lawsuit, titled both California v. Texas and House of Representatives v. Texas, is an effort by the Texas plaintiffs to argue that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in its entirety should be repealed due to a provision...Arizona News
Prior to the New Year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Medicaid expansion with a work requirement in Utah, the latest in a long line of states tying expansion to such a requirement. In 2018, Utah voters approved Medicaid expansion, but it was kept from full implementation by state lawmakers who argued that...Arizona News
The Trump administration is taking on HIV, and the Phoenix-area will be one of its key battlegrounds. Maricopa County is one of 57 communities nationwide that will benefit from free access to a key HIV prevention protocol: pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ “Ready, Set, PrEP”...National News
In a ruling last week, a US District Court Judge in Oregon granted a preliminary injunction against a proclamation by the Trump Administration that would require immigrants coming to the United States to prove that they have health insurance in order to get a visa.
This proclamation was said to only affect new visa applicants, not...National News
In back-to-back rulings, two federal judges struck down a rule by the Trump administration which allowed healthcare providers to decline patient care based on religious or moral objections to specific procedures, patient gender or patient sexual preference.
On Wednesday, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of a United States District Court...CMS Rules
After the publication of the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) on Friday, the Trump Administration is holding off on a controversial transparency rule that would require hospitals to publicly post all privately negotiated payer rates. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has promised to issue a "forthcoming...National News
As the 2020 election nears, the battle between political parties over healthcare continues to heighten and President Trump took to Florida-based retirement community, The Villages, in early October to clarify his health policy agenda as he aims for re-election.
At the crux of his proposal are four key considerations, including...National News
President Trump issued a proclamation on Oct. 4 barring soon-to-be immigrants from permanent residency in the U.S. within 30 days of entering if they cannot prove they are covered by an approved insurance plan or are unable to pay for healthcare. Effective Nov. 3, the rule includes parents and legal guardians of U.S....CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Aug. 15 that all plans on HealthCare.gov will be required to display quality star ratings during the 2020 open enrollment.
CMS said in a news release, the move builds on efforts by the Trump Administration to increase transparency and encourage informed coverage...National News
Early last week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a decision stating Congress can review and overturn Trump Administration guidance regarding Section 1332 waivers, or innovation waivers, that have loosened Affordable Care Act restrictions and opened gateways for states to overhaul individual exchanges.
An October...National News
The plan would have detoured drug rebates from insurers and PBMs to Medicare beneficiaries at the pharmacy counter, but after the Congressional Budget Office predicted it would increase Medicare spending by around $177 billion over a decade and could lead to higher premiums, the administration scrapped the plan.
Americans learned of...Arizona News
The lawsuit calling into question the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) constitutionality brought on by 20 red state attorneys general has made its way back into the limelight after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals asked parties involved in Texas v. United States to address three questions sent out by the office of the clerk last...
