Author's posts
Democratic Attorneys General Sue to Block Association Health Plan Rule
Twelve Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration Thursday to block a new rule making it easier for small firms and individuals to band together in association health plans free from many ACA market rules. The suit, filed in U.S. Distri…
Trump Administration to Push Forward on Medicaid Work Requirements After Court Loss
The Trump administration on Thursday said it would continue approving Medicaid work requirement requests from states, despite a district court ruling last month that blocked such requirements in Kentucky. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar s…
Trump Administration to Push Forward on Medicaid Work Requirements After Court Loss
The Trump administration on Thursday said it would continue approving Medicaid work requirement requests from states, despite a district court ruling last month that blocked such requirements in Kentucky. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar s…
Testing Medicare’s Bundled Payments for Chronic Medical Conditions
Medicare is testing new ways to encourage providers to keep down costs, improve quality of care, and increase accountability. One program, the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative, pays participating hospitals not for each service th…
Proposed CREATES Amendment Could Impede Availability of Affordable Generic Drugs
Last month, legislation intended to help remove barriers preventing generic drugmakers from bringing affordable medicines to market cleared an important hurdle when the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the CREATES (Creating and Restoring Equal Access …
Consumers Shopping for Health Plans to Lose Out on Personal Assistance
The Trump administration nearly eliminated federal funding for the “navigator” program that assists people in choosing a health plan. Moreover, it has directed navigators to inform consumers about insurance policies that don’t comply with Affordable Ca…
After a Lull, More States Look to Expand Medicaid
In a new post on To the Point, the Commonwealth Fund’s Don Moulds, Susan Hayes, Sara Collins, and Rachel Nuzum look at states where Medicaid expansion advocates have used or plan to use the ballot initiative process. They include Maine, Utah, Idaho, Ne…
Freezing Risk-Adjustment Payments Will Make Markets More Unstable
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) halted the risk-adjustment program that spreads the expense of covering high-cost enrollees across health insurers in the individual and small-group markets. In a new post, George…
Why Don’t Hospitals Treat Addiction Like Heart Attacks?
When a patient shows up in a hospital with chest pain, there’s an established, step-by-step pathway for how physicians, nurses, and other clinicians direct their cardiac care. Unfortunately, the same isn’t true for people grappling with addiction. Core…
Proposed CREATES Amendment Could Impede Availability of Affordable Generic Drugs
Last month, legislation intended to help remove barriers preventing generic drugmakers from bringing affordable medicines to market cleared an important hurdle when the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the CREATES (Creating and Restoring Equal Access …
