The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) convened a session focused on providing an overview of the major components of Medicaid financing and the Federal-state partnership. The presentation provided additional context for recent national discussions related to Medicaid improper payments and provider taxes. Commissioners spent the majority of the session emphasizing that provider taxes and other funding mechanisms… (Marceno, April 15, 2025) #Cost-Sharing, #Delivery Reform, #Public Health

Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be taking a series of steps to remove eight petroleum-based synthetic food dyes from the food supply. These actions include the following: Establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition to natural dyes; Initiating the process… (McClurg, April 22, 2025) #Nutrition

Republican Letter  Earlier this week, 12 Republican House members sent a letter to Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Scalise, Majority Whip Emmer, and Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee Chairman Gutherie regarding Medicaid cuts that are being considered in the Budget Reconciliation process. Per the letter, the signees oppose Medicaid cuts for populations they believe it is intended to serve: children, seniors, individuals with disabilities,… (Joyce, April 17, 2025) #Hospitals, #Insurance Coverage, #Pediatrics, #Public Health, #Skilled Nursing Facilities, #Women’s Health

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the Initial Public Draft (IPD) update of the Privacy Framework Version 1.1, a voluntary guidance tool aimed at helping organizations identify and manage privacy risks (press release, framework). Building on the success of Version 1.0, this update is designed to address contemporary privacy challenges, particularly those related to artificial intelligence (AI),… (Colocho, April 17, 2025) #Health Information Technology, #Prevention, #Privacy

The state of Hawaii, one of the participants in the upcoming Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI/Innovation Center) States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model, posted documents detailing Version 3.0 of the CMS-Designed Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) Hospital Global Budget (HGB) Financial Specifications (At-A-Glance). Last week CMMI held a webinar to review the forthcoming methodology changes (see… (Testa, April 16, 2025) #Critical Access Hospitals, #Delivery Reform, #Demonstration Programs, #Hospitals

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new actions to protect whistleblowers who report concerns regarding the use of chemical and surgical gender-transition procedures on minors. This includes the release of legal guidance and the launch of a whistleblower complaint portal. Additionally, HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) initiated its first conscience rights investigation into an unnamed major… (Colocho, April 16, 2025) #Health Equity, #Pediatrics, #Privacy, #Public Health

President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum titled “Directing the Repeal of Unlawful Regulations”, expanding on the deregulatory initiative set forth in Executive Order 14219 (issued February 19, 2025). The memorandum commands all executive departments and agencies to: Immediately begin repealing any regulation identified as unlawful or exceeding statutory authority, especially those conflicting with recent Supreme Court precedents. Bypass the typical… (Colocho, April 15, 2025) #Costs

The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) convened a session to examine access to hospice and specific high-cost services, such as dialysis, blood transfusions, radiation, and chemotherapy, for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and cancer under the Medicare hospice benefit. The session was prompted by concerns raised in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed hospice rules for… (Colocho, April 14, 2025) #Accountable Care Organizations, #Costs, #End of Life and Palliative Care, #End-Stage Renal Disease, #Hospice

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2026 hospice payment rate update proposed rule (fact sheet). What it is. The proposed rule addresses the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for FY 2026, along with updates from the hospice quality reporting program. Why it’s important for you. CMS proposes a 2.4… (Colocho, April 14, 2025) #End of Life and Palliative Care, #Health Equity, #Hospice, #Nutrition, #Wellness

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2026 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS) proposed rule (fact sheet), which applies to acute care hospital and LTCH payments beginning Oct. 1, 2025. Under the proposed rule, acute care hospitals would receive a 2.4 percent increase ($4 billion including the… (Testa, April 11, 2025) #Critical Access Hospitals, #Demonstration Programs, #Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), #Hospitals, #Long-Term Care Hospitals, #Nutrition, #Quality, #Readmissions, #Workforce