Supreme Court upholds ACA
Kelly Gooch | June 18, 2021 The nation’s highest court has ruled that the ACA remains the law in the U.S., Bloomberg News reported June 17. A coalition of Republican-leaning states, led by Texas, asked the Supreme Court to invalidate the ACA. They argued that the court should strike down the health law because in…
Providers cheer HHS extension of deadlines to use COVID-19 relief funds
Shannon Muchmore | June 14, 2021 Dive Brief:HHS on Friday extended key deadlines for medical groups and hospitals to use money from the Provider Relief Fund established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act last year. Providers no longer have to use all funds by June 30. Deadlines will be based on when…
Bill aims to fix glitch that penalizes rural ACOs even if they generate savings
Robert King | Jun 9, 2021 New bipartisan legislation aims to fix a glitch that can penalize rural accountable care organizations that reduce costs. The legislation, introduced Tuesday, would fix a flaw that requires all ACOs to measure their performance against themselves, which lawmakers say can disproportionately impact rural providers. The bill comes as ACO advocates have…
CMS delays requirement for drugmakers to offer multiple best prices for Medicaid value-based deals
Robert King | May 27, 2021 The Biden administration has delayed for six months the implementation of a Trump-era rule aimed at incentivizing the use of value-based drug price agreements in Medicaid. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule Wednesday that delays implementation of a requirement for manufacturers to report multiple best…
New House, Senate bills aim to make telehealth expansion permanent in Medicare, Medicaid
Robert King | May 25, 2021 A pair of bills recently introduced in the House and Senate aim to ensure that a boom in telehealth use during the pandemic does not go away. A House bill introduced Monday and a Senate bill introduced Tuesday both aim to make certain telehealth flexibilities permanent for Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries….