On October 19, 2018, a New Mexico district judge rejected a request from HHS to reconsider a February decision that had briefly led to the suspension of the ACA’s risk adjustment program. In February, District Judge James...more
On Wednesday, August 8, CMS filed a proposed rule clearing the way for the federal government to continue making payments under the ACA’s risk adjustment program for the benefit year 2018. The 2018 proposed rule is...more
The ACA reduced uninsurance among veterans by 40%; Marketplaces showed signs of stabilizing in 2016; and some states are giving insurers more time to make decisions about offering coverage on the Marketplace next year in...more
CMS denies Ohio’s Medicaid 1115 waiver request citing the State’s premium proposal; HHS will use 2015 risk corridors collections for remaining 2014 payments; and Alabama closes its Medicaid budget shortfall....more
CMS targets Medicaid managed care pass-through payments; California proposes “California Qualified Health Plans” for the undocumented; and a new study finds out-of-pocket costs were reduced by nearly a third for Medicaid...more
Massachusetts’s Marketplace eliminates cost-sharing for addiction treatment in subsidized QHPs; Montana cuts its uninsurance rate in half; and a Kaiser report identifies the 50 most costly drugs for Medicaid....more
Ways & Means Leadership Changes – Health Policy Implications Looming: As Congress pushes forward with a two-year budget deal, and new Speaker Paul Ryan begins his tenure as the top Republican in the House of...more
Arizona seeks Medicaid Waiver to implement new coverage restrictions for Medicaid expansion enrollees and delivery system reform; Tennessee’s uninsured rate continues to drop; and Louisiana gubernatorial candidates line up...more
Congress passes a bill to give states greater flexibility in defining “small businesses”; South Dakota seeks to offset Medicaid expansion costs in part with increased use of the fully federally-funded Indian Health Service;...more
CMS permits states to use income information from other means-tested benefit programs for Medicaid eligibility determinations; Alaska’s Medicaid expansion is given the green light to launch today; and Washington State submits...more