For-profit hospital executives breathe easier as budget cuts soften
The House passed the budget reconciliation package with provisions that include work requirements, the repeal of new provider taxes, and a cap on new Directed Payment Programs, but executives expect minimal impact and the bill's healthcare provisions to be further whittled down when it is taken up by the Senate.
Hospitals urge ways to cut $1 trillion administrative cost
The American Hospital Association has submitted 100 regulatory changes to the Trump administration to reduce the estimated $1 trillion annual cost of health administrative requirements, including deregulating quality measures, billing and payment, and telehealth.
CMS proposes rule to curb Medicaid provider tax loophole
CMS is proposing a rule to limit the use of provider taxes to finance Medicaid, which would reduce Medicaid funding by $52 billion over the next five years and ensure federal Medicaid dollars go to pay for health care for vulnerable Americans, not to fund unrelated programs.
Rhode Island’s hospital price limits linked to 9.1% cut in hospital prices over 10 years
Rhode Island's unique rate-limiting program resulted in a 9.1% cut in hospital prices over 10 years, much of which was passed along to commercially insured plans and enrollees, and may inform other states on hospital price control initiatives.
Bad debt, charity up 32% since 2022
Uncompensated care costs have increased 32% in 2025 compared to 2022, but they have been offset by increasing hospital incomes, and the trend is driven by increased payer denials, growing ED visits, and Medicaid volumes.
HFMA launches FastFinance as a new member benefit for healthcare finance executives
In 2024, HFMA’s award-winning editorial team set out to engineer a weekly newsletter product exclusively aimed at busy hospital and health system CFOs. Since launching the pilot in November, it has quickly gained a following among CFOs and other provider executives. In fact, in a recent survey of participating CFOs: HFMA’s FastFinance is written and…
States with highest employee healthcare costs are mostly rural, new report finds
A new Commonwealth Fund study found significant variation in healthcare costs across the country, with rural states having the highest costs and Maryland being the exception among the top five highest-cost states for ESI family coverage.
Hospital ED volumes hike 40% since 2020, according to Moody’s report
Hospital emergency department volumes have increased 40% since 2020, driven by an increasingly sick population seeking high-acuity care in one convenient location.
Medicaid taxes target of coming regulations
The White House is reviewing a proposed rule to change Medicaid taxes, potentially cutting federal spending by $48 billion to $630 billion over 10 years, and could impact the funding for state-directed payments (SDPs) and designated state health programs (DSHPs).
More rural hospitals adopt critical access status to boost finances
Rural hospitals are converting to critical access hospital status to reduce their inpatient beds and become eligible for the 340B discount drug program, which is helping some facilities improve their financial operations.