OPPS final rule keeps site-neutral payments and 340B cuts, leaves out transparency requirement
Rich Daly | November 5, 2019 – Site-neutral payment cuts to hospital outpatient departments will continue pending a possible appeal of a court ruling that prohibited the cuts. – 340B payment cuts will continue amid an ongoing appeal of a decision striking them down. – The proposal to require hospitals to post rates negotiated with…
As ACA open enrollment starts, markets look stable but stagnant on growth
Robert King | Oct 31, 2019 The Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period starts Nov. 1 toward a more stable marketplace. The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) insurance exchanges are the most stable they have been in years, but questions remain on whether the market’s enrollment can grow. Open enrollment for the 2020 coverage year starts…
Hospitals prepare for looming Medicaid DSH cuts
Kelly Gooch | October 31, 2019 Rural and safety-net hospitals across the country are facing decisions about how to manage $4 billion in federal cuts to Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital payments that are slated to begin next month, according to Stateline. The cuts, which will begin Nov. 22 without congressional action, are part of the…
CMS: More hospitals will get value-based purchasing program payment bonuses in FY2020
Robert King | Oct 29, 2019 A majority of hospitals in CMS’ value-based purchasing program will get a payment bonus for fiscal year 2020, the agency said. More hospitals will get payment bonuses under the Trump administration’s value-based purchasing program in federal fiscal year 2020 than a decline in payments, according to new figures. The…
KFF: MA plans per beneficiary to reach highest level in 2020 in a decade
Robert King | Oct 25, 2019 Medicare Advantage The average Medicare beneficiary can choose between 28 Medicare Advantage plans next year, the highest total since 2010, a new analysis found. The average number of Medicare Advantage plans per beneficiary will increase in 2020 to the highest level since 2010, according to a new analysis. The…