Senate Parliamentarian Weighs In on Health Bill
Since Senate Republicans are looking to repeal the Affordable Care Act through budget reconciliation, the Senate parliamentarian has to approve the bill. However, the parliamentarian has ruled that provisions of the bill violate Senate rules and cannot be made under reconciliation, reported The New York Times. Cutting off federal funds for Planned Parenthood, prohibiting the use of federal subsidies to buy insurance plans that cover abortion, and making people wait 6 months for coverage after they have had a lapse in coverage are all being challenged by the parliamentarian.
Adjusting Indiana Medicaid Proposal
After proposing to include work requirements in the state Medicaid program, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb received enough comments against the idea to change his mind a little. According to the Indy Star, the state has agreed to study whether adding a work requirement will make participants healthier as a result of their socioeconomic status improving. The state has also added to the list of people who would be exempt from the requirement, such as the chronically homeless and former foster children younger than 26 years. The proposal already excluded pregnant women, those being treated for substance abuse, the medically frail, and people older than 60 years.
Fixing the VA Budget Gap
The House of Representatives is moving to address a budget shortfall in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but veterans’ groups are not happy with the newest plan. Veterans’ groups are saying the plan will privatize the VA by shifting $2 billion from other VA programs to continue funding a program that allows veterans to obtain care outside of the VA system, reported the Associated Press. Instead, the 8 groups are urging Congress to provide emergency funding without cutting other VA programs. The House plan would trim pensions for some veterans and collect fees for housing loans.
CMS' 340B Repayment Proposal May Harm Vulnerable Hospitals, Reward Those With Higher Revenues
April 26th 2024The 340B hospitals not receiving an offsetting lump-sum payment from CMS following 2018-2022 cuts later ruled unlawful are disproportionately rural, publicly owned, and nonacademic, according to a new study.
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Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
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Kaiser Permanente was hit by a data breach in mid-April, impacting 13.4 million health plan members; GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sued Pfizer and BioNTech for allegedly infringing on its messenger RNA technology patents in the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines; the CDC announced the first-known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections.
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