In this edition of “5 Things We’re Watching,” we take a look at health-related initiatives filed with the Secretary of State’s office, new updates on federal health policy that could impact Washington State, and $47 million in grant funding that aims to increase behavioral health service capacity. Thanks for reading! Emily Boerger State of Reform … Read more
The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform estimates more than 600 rural hospitals in America are in jeopardy from Medicare sequestration and waning finances in a new report. According to the center’s findings, Texas has the highest number of rural hospitals at risk of closure in the country with 69. Congress implemented … Read more
As State of Reform continues to expand and grow, we’re excited to announce that we’ve hired a new full time reporter to cover the intersection of health care and health policy in Alaska. Shane Ersland comes to State of Reform with over 10 years of journalism experience, having most recently worked as an editor at … Read more
The most recent consumer price index (CPI) release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that the rate of annual inflation from March 2021 to March 2022 was 8.5 percent — the highest in four decades. If such rapid price escalation persists for an extended period, it will have broad implications for many federal … Read more
A Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs lecturer informed stakeholders of possible avenues for funding a universal health care system in Washington Thursday. Dan Meuse–Deputy Director of State Health and Value Strategies of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation–spoke during the Washington Universal Health Care Commission’s meeting. The commission was created after … Read more
The Biden administration unveiled its updated budget plan this week, and it includes both new policies affecting health care and a re-commitment to previously-advanced initiatives. The release, which the president is required by law to send to Congress annually, covers the fiscal year 2023 (which starts on October 1 of this year) and the ensuing … Read more
The Biden administration has come under pressure in recent weeks to modify, or even pull back entirely, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s Direct Contracting Model, which was originally developed during the Trump era. (The administration has indicated it will announce its plans for the model “soon”.) The following background on how the model … Read more
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (Department) suspended new enrollments into InnovAge Colorado’s Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). The Department has concurrently directed a corrective action process requiring InnovAge Colorado to address patient care concerns in all their Colorado sites. The decision follows extensive audit findings of InnovAge Colorado, … Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a transformative global event with far-reaching effects that are still unfolding. The recent annual report on national health spending from the Office of the Actuary’s National Health Expenditures Accounts Team in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) documents some of the dramatic shifts the pandemic caused in U.S. … Read more
U.S. Representatives Ami Bera, M.D., (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon, M.D., (R-IN) introduced bipartisan legislation that will provide critical relief to physicians who are currently scheduled to see their Medicare payment cut by up to 9% next year. The Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2021 (HR 6020) would extend the 2021 Medicare physician payment adjustment of 3.75% for … Read more