Failure to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits could cause nearly 5 million Americans to become uninsured, which would in turn reduce total healthcare spending by $32.1 billion, according to a study by the Urban Institute.
The ACA enhanced premium tax credits (EPTCs) have bolstered Marketplaces since 2021 and are on track to...
The Department of Health and Human Services is continuing its ongoing purge of federal workers, which is having major impacts on healthcare providers, payers and medical infrastructure across the country.
As many as 10,000 workers may be cut from the workforce, including some leadership positions, in positions ranging from...
Amidst a growing call to reform Medicare Advantage monetary incentives like the Quality Bonus Program (QBP), insurers are announcing that they will receive record high bonus payments from the Medicare program.
Federal spending on bonus payments is expected to reach $12.8 billion this year, with UnitedHealthcare expected to take home...
Negotiations between the White House, Congressional Republicans and Democrats remain at a stalemate as the deadline to raise the country's debt ceiling approaches. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is holding fast to his party's demand for Medicaid work requirements.
Under the Republican plan, according to NBC News, Medicaid recipients...Arizona News
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) clarified some of the guidance on the termination of the public health emergency this week. Also, the Arizona State University (ASU) Biodesign Institute has created a statewide survey to better understand the paths that new COVID variants take when moving through Arizona.
The...CMS Rules
The Leapfrog Group, a healthcare consumer safety watchdog group, has asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to revoke plans to end reporting on serious medical and surgical complications that occur in hospitals.
The 2023 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule contains within it a measure...News
The ending of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) spells challenges ahead for Medicaid and Marketplace health officials. At a national level, nonprofit Urban Institute detailed the myriad of obstacles and possible solutions for providers after the expiration of the PHE's continuous coverage requirement in a white paper, Preparing...National News
Despite over 90% of the United States population having some form of health insurance, medical debt remains a persistent problem. An analysis of government data estimates that 9% of adults – roughly 23 million people – owe more than $250 due to health costs. Half those people report owing more than $2,000.
These estimates come...Data Resources
In a new analysis, the Urban Institute found that coupling a Medicare buy-in with enhanced ACA tax credits would lead to the largest coverage gains.
Without the enhanced credits, a buy-in would not dramatically expand coverage or reduce costs, although it would help some people and could lower overall spending since payment rates...News
Lowering the age of Medicare eligibility would allow 1.5 million to 2.5 million more people to be insured, but a buy-in program would raise premiums and out-of-pocket costs for younger members of these plans since some over-50 members would no longer be contributing to that insurance pool.
President-elect Joe Biden has suggested...National News
In 2017 health spending grew 4.8 percent year-over-year, the second consecutive year of deceleration in spending growth; from 2006 to 2017 growth in health spending per enrollee averaged 4.4 percent annually for the privately insured - Medicare averaged 2.4 percent and Medicaid, 1.6 percent, according to research from The Urban...White Papers, E books, Reports and more
This analysis provides state-by-state estimates of the impact on insurance coverage, premiums, and mandate penalty revenues if the states were to adopt individual mandates. The work is based on the Urban Institute’s Health Insurance Policy Simulation Model, assuming each state adopts an individual mandate similar to the ACA’s
If...
