In response to early reports of high Medicaid procedural disenrollment rates, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra is urging governors to adopt all available flexibilities to minimize terminations for procedural reasons during the COVID-19 unwinding period (press release). As part of this call to action, HHS announced several new flexibilities to increase ex parte renewal rates, support enrollees… (Llamas, June 13, 2023) #Coverage Decisions, #COVID-19, #Waivers

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a fact sheet on new actions the Biden Administration is taking to reach eligible seniors and people with disability and improve enrollment in the low-income subsidy (LIS) Extra Help Program. Pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), beginning January 1, 2024, the LIS Extra Help program eligibility will be expanded to individuals with income… (Slifer, June 12, 2023) #Cost-Sharing, #Medicare Part D, #Prescription Drugs

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee convened a hearing to continue the discussion of the nation’s youth mental health crisis and explore viable policy solutions. The hearing featured Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Katherine Neas, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of… (Marceno, Llamas, June 9, 2023) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Public Health

The Biden administration announced (press release; fact sheet) a list of 43 Part B prescription drugs where beneficiaries may see lower coinsurances between July 1 – September 30, 2023. The Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program, a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), penalizes drug companies for raising prices on Medicare prescription drugs faster than inflation. The Centers for… (Marceno, Testa, June 9, 2023) #Drug Pricing

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled the STI Federal Implementation Plan, which outlines federal actions aimed at reducing the burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States by 2025. The plan comes in response to a significant rise in STI cases reported between 2020 and 2021, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. The plan highlights over… (Colocho, June 9, 2023) #Health Equity, #Prevention

The Senate Committee on Finance convened a hearing to address significant concerns regarding consolidation and corporate ownership in the health care system that often lead to increased costs and lower quality of care. As the Committee responsible to much of the federal health policy Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) stressed the need to identify financial incentives that lead to increased corporatization…. (Colocho, June 9, 2023) #Accountable Care Organizations, #Drug Pricing, #Hospitals, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Physicians, #Prevention, #Primary Care, #Quality, #Transparency, #Value-Based Insurance Design

Today, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI/Innovation Center) announced (press release; fact sheet (attached); model website) it is planning to test a new voluntary, advanced primary care model. The Making Care Primary (MCP) model builds off of previous primary care models tested by CMMI, including the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC), CPC+, Primary Care First, and the Maryland Primary… (Testa, June 8, 2023) #Costs, #Delivery Reform, #Health Equity, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Physicians, #Prevention, #Primary Care, #Quality, #Social Determinants of Health, #Value-Based Purchasing

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule to create a policy governing the treatment of days associated with beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) for the purposes of determining a hospital’s Medicare disproportionate patient percentage for discharges on or before October 1, 2013. The final rule intends to resolve any legal ambiguity surrounding the inclusion of MA… (Slifer, June 8, 2023) #Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), #Medicare Advantage

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released updated projections on health insurance coverage for individuals under 65, revealing a record low uninsurance rate of 8.3%. This decrease is attributed to increased enrollment in Medicaid and marketplace plans, driven by temporary pandemic policies. However, the CBO anticipates a decline in Medicaid enrollment and projects that 6.2 million people will become uninsured. The… (Colocho, June 5, 2023) #COVID-19, #Insurance Coverage, #Public Health

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published a final research plan on interventions to prevent perinatal depression. The draft research plan on this topic was made available for public comment from February 23, 2022 to March 22, 2023, and USPSTF says all comments were taken into consideration as it finalized the research plan. In response to public comment, USPSTF… (Colocho, June 5, 2023) #Coverage Decisions, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Prevention, #Women’s Health