News Briefs: ACA subsidies in limbo after government funding deal
After Congress ended the longest federal government shutdown on record at 43 days, the future of enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remained unresolved. The shutdown officially ended Nov. 12, three days after eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus joined Republicans to help pass a continuing resolution that maintains spending through Jan.…
Ken Perez: The tariffs-driven trade war and its implications for healthcare
Given President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs and their significant worldwide economic impact, it’s not surprising that the word tariff has been considered a candidate for Word of the Year.a Whether or not you agree with Trump’s tariff policy, the United States has a powerful ability to impose tariffs, rooted in the immensity of the…
The shutdown continues, plus the latest on 340B
HFMA Senior Editor Nick Hut and HFMA Policy Director Shawn Stack discuss the latest in healthcare finance news.
FastFinance: Good faith estimate rules coming
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Congress is pressing CMS to release long-delayed rules that would implement requirements that providers create good faith estimates for their patients. Also, this week’s Weird Number: As of July, 96.5% of…
The latest on budget talks, rural healthcare funding and a controversial payment policy
HFMA Senior Editor Nick Hut and HFMA Policy Director Shawn Stack discuss the latest in healthcare finance news. Also in this episode, Brad Dennison, HFMA’s Vice President of Content, talks with Rich Daly about the new Fast Finance podcast.
Only in America could arguments for cutting healthcare access be so artful
The phrase “only in America” usually refers to the upside of national exceptionalism, but in the context of healthcare, the meaning is often negative. That’s the case with current efforts to cut Medicaid — now the nation’s largest healthcare program in terms of enrollment — to pay for large tax cuts that will primarily benefit…
Ken Perez: The NIH research grant cuts — their magnitude, impact and the road ahead
Moves by the Trump administration to reduce HHS’s discretionary budget by 26.2% could have unintended adverse consequences. They not only could undermine the nation’s standing in the field of medical research, but also could derail progress in human health advances, promising medical findings and public health preparedness. Cuts to discretionary spending by the National Institutes…
News Briefs: Dr. Oz describes a reimagined healthcare ecosystem at HFMA event
A rapid acceleration of digital healthcare applications will be central to the looming transformation of the U.S. healthcare system, according to Mehmet Oz, MD, administrator of CMS. Oz spoke at the annual Not-for Profit Healthcare Investor Conference, sponsored by HFMA, Barclays and the American Hospital Association. He sought to explain why sweeping, systemic changes are…
News Briefs: Dr. Oz describes changes he would bring to Medicaid, Medicare Advantage
During his Senate confirmation hearing for the post of CMS administrator, Mehmet Oz, MD, was not asked about his past endorsement of a Medicare Advantage (MA) for All model, in which MA would expand to cover most Americans. He did sound willing to take action against MA insurers that allegedly overcharge the government through methods…
News Briefs: Year-end spending bill ensures no loss of funding for Medicaid DSH payments
Year-end spending bill ensures no loss of funding for Medicaid DSH payments. The continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government funded through mid-March includes key healthcare provisions. Passed Dec. 20 as essentially the last act of the 118th Congress, the CR ensured an $8 billion cut to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments did…