An increasing number of Floridians are seeking health insurance as a result of the pandemic. A report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows over 487,000 people in Florida gained health coverage by the end 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP) last week. However, some individuals are paying high deductibles or copayments for … Read more
Last Friday, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s injunction request to block the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)’s rescission of the state’s Medicaid 1115 waiver extension. This nullifies CMS’s April rescission and — at least for the time being — maintains the state’s … Read more
Florida leads the nation with the most health insurance enrollees — 487,342 — through the state marketplace during the 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP), which concluded Sunday, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The SEP report estimates over 2.5 million Americans gained health coverage through HealthCare.gov and state marketplaces during the … Read more
It’s an odd time in COVID. Public opinion has turned gloomy, with Gallup reporting that more people are pessimistic about the future of COVID and getting the disease than are optimistic. That’s the first time since January that more folks are worried than hopeful. Moreover, 1 in 3 vaccinated individuals are now “somewhat” or “very worried” … Read more
After Colorado health care organizations issued a statement last week calling for a statewide vaccine mandate for health care workers, Gov. Jared Polis followed suit on Tuesday, asking the Colorado Board of Health to expedite its rulemaking process to implement a vaccine requirement. The mandate would apply to staff who serve Colorado’s vulnerable populations and … Read more
A recent PatientRightsAdvocate.org report estimates only 5.6% of hospitals in the country are in compliance with federal hospital price transparency rules that went into effect January 1, 2021. The report, which reviewed 500 hospitals nationwide, found all 12 hospitals evaluated in Arizona to be noncompliant. The new transparency rules require hospitals to post online a … Read more
In the first Section 1332 waiver approved under the Biden administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Colorado’s extension request for its reinsurance program for 2022 through 2026 on Friday. Governor Jared Polis praised the approval in a statement released on Friday. “As Colorado builds back better from this pandemic, … Read more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revoked Utah’s community engagement requirements on Tuesday due to risk of “coverage losses and harm to beneficiaries” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. CMS sent a letter to the Utah Department of Health’s Division of Medicaid and Health Financing in Feb. 2021 to announce … Read more
With a recent study illuminating many Texas hospitals’ noncompliance with federal price transparency laws, as well as a new state transparency law about to take effect, noncompliant hospitals could soon face both federal and state-level monetary penalties. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)’s final rule on hospital price transparency, existing under the authority … Read more