Medicare

CMS on Thursday (Oct. 8) laid out Medicare loan repayment terms as revised by the latest continuing resolution, including the option for providers to request an extended repayment schedule if they are facing financial hardships.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Wednesday (Oct. 7) said her agency will prioritize those most at risk for COVID-19 to get vaccines once they are available, and that includes those in nursing homes.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission on Thursday (Oct. 1) expressed support for a staff recommendation to shift indirect Medicare education payment towards outpatient-centric settings, although no official vote was taken.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Monday (Oct. 5) said the agency will reach out to providers about new flexibility surrounding the Medicare provider relief loans, as laid out in the newly signed continuing resolution to keep the government open through Dec. 11.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission appeared largely supportive of a recommendation to modify Medicare Advantage benchmarks after staff said current benchmarks create higher payments to MA plans and significant benchmark cliffs across regions.

The Senate on Wednesday (Sept. 30) passed a continuing resolution that funds the government through Dec. 11, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown, and extends funding for several Medicare and Medicaid programs, among other health care riders.

CMS on Tuesday (Sept. 29) lowered the thresholds for testing nursing home staff for COVID-19, basing its new methodology on the number of tests done in the county as well as COVID-19 positivity rates as opposed to just the latter.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s proposal to reform the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits by removing the so-called “subsidy cliff” would reduce health care costs for nearly all current marketplace enrollees, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis out just prior to the first presidential debate.

CMS says it is pleased Congress is working to change the repayment terms of Medicare loans to providers and to mitigate Part B premium hikes as part of the continuing resolution that the Senate is set to take up Tuesday (Sept. 29), after key Democrats wrote to the agency raising concerns with lack of clarity on provider repayment, the effects of the program on Medicare premiums and the overall amount of Part B loans given to providers.