Medicaid

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Wednesday (May 6) that Democrats are looking to include a $500 billion paycheck guarantee as part of the next coronavirus response bill, which could lower the costs for COBRA subsidies that lawmakers are also considering for the package.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said Wednesday (May 6) that Democratic priorities for the next coronavirus stimulus package include funding for states and territories, as well as expanded testing and contact tracing.

Lawmakers, providers and hospitals want additional funding for Medicaid and behavioral health included in the upcoming coronavirus stimulus package, as well as funding for providers, although they don’t say how much.

Insurers serving largely Medicaid and marketplace eligible Americans are prepping for a tsunami of enrollees over the next year and already see a surge in Medicaid business due to the requirement that states do eligibility redeterminations in order to get increased matching funds, several insurers reported in their first quarter earnings calls.

The lobby for community-affiliated health plans is urging Congress to make sure consumers who purchased short-term health plans will be protected from COVID-19 related costs after the administration said the plans will not be eligible for reimbursement from the fund HHS established to pay hospitals for treating the uninsured.

In another set of wide-ranging emergency waivers and policy changes aimed at tackling the coronavirus pandemic, CMS announced Thursday (April 30) that it is expanding how Medicare pays for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, encouraging hospitals to increase their capacity, and codifying a new requirement for nursing homes to inform residents and their families of any confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases in their facilities.

The National Association of Medicaid Directors sent a strongly worded letter to HHS on Monday (April 27), calling for the department to immediately meet with Medicaid directors about when and how they will receive CARES Act funding.

CMS is encouraging states to loosen their laws and regulations in order to broaden the use of telehealth in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program during the coronavirus crisis, coming as CMS relaxes long-standing federal telehealth restrictions in Medicare.

HHS on Thursday (April 23) announced that it is awarding $631 million in grants to 64 state and local jurisdictions, which the administration says will help their efforts to relax social distancing guidelines.