Medicaid

Senate Democrats delayed by one year, till 2024, the removal of the cap on Medicaid inflation rebates included in their draft pandemic relief package, according to language circulating Wednesday (March 3).

CMS will consider provider-specific emergency waivers for Texas clinicians in Medicare and Medicaid due to the recent severe winter storms in the state, but the agency says it has already provided numerous waivers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so it will not add any more blanket waivers.

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice told the Supreme Court that Arkansas has no leg to stand on in asking the court to continue reviewing the Medicaid work requirements lawsuit, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape from when the 1115 demonstrations were initially granted, the state’s work requirements likely won’t go into effect before the demonstration expires at the end of 2021 and the state is basing some of its arguments on lawsuits that don’t exist.

The American Hospital Association asked HHS in a letter Monday (Feb. 22) to tell hospitals how their data’s being used to respond to COVID-19 and to give hospitals advance notice before adding more data reporting fields or changing the reporting platform again.

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to cancel arguments in the lawsuit over Medicaid work requirements and let HHS go through its process to revoke the 1115 demonstrations instead – but Arkansas says HHS’ revocation efforts could also end up in court so the case should proceed.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure has been an advocate for maternal health equity, expanded data collection and overturning Medicaid work requirements throughout her health policy career, hinting at what might be in store for her tenure as CMS administrator if confirmed by the Senate.

Biden’s historic pick to head CMS, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, has extensive experience with the Affordable Care Act having helped to draft the bill as a House Ways & Means staffer, where she worked with HHS Secretary-nominee Xavier Becerra before moving to help implement the law as deputy director of CMS’ Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, which oversees the insurance exchanges and related policies.

A Maryland immigrant rights group suing over the Trump administration’s public charge rule on Wednesday (Feb. 17) asked a federal appeals court to proceed with the case, rejecting the Biden administration’s efforts to put the case on hold while federal agencies revisit the rule.

The American Hospital Association has laid out a broad 2021 health care advocacy agenda that calls for Congress and the Biden administration to preserve federal Medicaid and Medicare funding, investigate health insurance anti-competitiveness, protect hospitals when implement surprise billing protections and more.