Medicare

CMS has distributed $51 billion in emergency payment advances to Medicare providers to help them cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the agency said Thursday (April 9) -- up from the $34 billion in advance pay that had been disbursed just two days before.

Hospitals and HHS are at odds on how to spend a $100 billion fund authorized for health care providers by the third coronavirus stimulus package, coming as House Democrats push for another $100 billion for hospitals and other health systems in a fourth stimulus package.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Tuesday (April 7) said providers will see $30 billion from the CARES Act distributed this week, and the money will be divvied up based on providers' Medicare revenue.

Hospitals are asking CMS to waive or lower the interest on advanced payments that providers request under the Medicare accelerated pay program, but the agency says it doesn’t have the authority to waive or change the interest rate on Medicare debts -- including those repayments.

The country’s second COVID-19 stimulus law, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, will increase the federal deficit by $192 billion through 2030, mostly over the next two years, and the largest health-related expenditure is due to the increased federal match rate for Medicaid that doesn’t account for increased enrollment during the downturn, according to an initial estimate from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

CMS on Thursday (April 2) issued additional guidance for nursing homes as they tackle COVID-19, but the nursing home lobby says it’s not possible to fully comply with CMS’ and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations without an adequate supply of personal protective equipment.

Anthem said Wednesday (April 1) it would waive cost-sharing for all treatments related to the COVID-19 diagnosis through May 31, the fourth major insurer to make such a decision in recent weeks.

The White House Office of Management and Budget concluded its review of a proposed rule to impose penalties on those who violate the 21st Century Cures Act’s ban on information blocking.

Anthem Inc. fraudulently overcharged CMS by millions of dollars in Medicare Advantage payments by failing to correct inaccurate diagnosis data, federal prosecutors allege in a lawsuit against the company.