Medicare

CMS proposed to increase pay for inpatient rehabilitation facilities in fiscal 2021, lift the requirements for post-admission evaluations and allow non-physicians practitioners to provide more services under an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System proposed rule out Thursday (April 16).

CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Wednesday (April 15) indicated that not every regulation waived to help the health sector tackle COVID-19 might go back into place at the end of the public health emergency, and she specifically praised the new flexibility that telehealth has given beneficiaries.

CMS on Wednesday (April 15) said it will nearly double payments for certain labs that use rapid-diagnosing tests for COVID-19.

Beneficiary advocates, hospitals, and governors want to see more funding, expanded telehealth authorities and a focus on health disparities in a fourth coronavirus stimulus package Congress is crafting.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the top Democrats on key health committees -- Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) -- allege HHS didn’t follow Congress’ intent in how it distributed the initial $30 billion of the $100 billion in CARES Act funding for providers, demanding the remainder of the funds be distributed more equitably and target the areas hit hardest hit by the pandemic.

Three Democrats are concerned that White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner is tapping tech companies to help in sharing protected health data to establish a national coronavirus surveillance system and are calling on the administration to provide more information on its plans.

CMS on Friday (April 10) proposed pay increases for skilled nursing facilities, hospices, and inpatient psychiatric facilities for fiscal 2021.

More than 318,000 providers will see a portion of the $30 billion in CARES Act funding -- funneled through UnitedHealth Group -- and those providers will need to attest they agree with the terms and conditions associated with the funding within 30 days or return the funding within that same time period.

Key health insurance industry lobbies sent congressional leaders a list of legislative proposals they say are needed to stabilize the entire health insurance market in the face of the ongoing public health crisis, including reforms to bolster the Medicare, Medicaid and employer-sponsored markets, as well as individual and small group plans.