Taking the Pulse, A Health Care and Life Sciences Video Podcast | Episode 187: South Carolina Hospitals and Healthcare Industry Trends with Thornton Kirby, SCHA President
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces have nearly tripled their enrollment in their first decade of operation, from eight million people in 2014 to 21.4 million in 2024. At the national level, the ACA has helped cut the...more
On December 1, 2023, North Carolina will become the 40th state to implement Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), extending Medicaid eligibility to more than 600,000 adults with incomes up to 138% of the...more
In a new form of outreach from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Labor, a letter was issued to employers, plan sponsors, and insurance issuers (the...more
Welcome trends in health care put bad news in perspective We've had plenty of gloom-and-doom news about health care lately, but as we near the year-end holidays that focus on giving thanks, let's look at some positive...more
A scandal of the U.S. health system may be far worse than imagined, with the medical debt sold to collection agencies alone amounting to a staggering $140 billion. The $140 billion estimate came from researchers who...more
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to strike down the Affordable Care Act once again today, the third unsuccessful constitutional challenge to the far-reaching health care law since it was enacted in 2010. This time, the...more
Editor’s Note: In a recent issue brief for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, summarized below, Manatt Health describes the provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP)...more
Section 9 of Senate Bill 770 (SB 770), signed into law in 2019, directed the state of Oregon to engage in an analysis to help policymakers develop policy around a public option or Medicaid buy-in model for Oregon. The goal of...more
On June 24, 2020, House Democrats proposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 1425) (the “Proposed Act”), legislation aimed at reinforcing the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) by: (i) lowering...more
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court in NFIB v. Sebelius struck down a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) which, for all intents and purposes, made the expansion of the Medicaid program...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), and other Federal and State agencies and...more
With crisis comes uncertainty, and even the best-intentioned regulations can leave those combating the current COVID-19 public-health emergency out in the cold. Many have asked whether the recent Declaration under the...more
This post is the second installment in our blog series looking back on the 10-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and will examine Medicaid expansion under the ACA. Medicaid is joint federal-state program that...more
In light of findings from the COVID-19 outbreak at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will suspend all routine facility inspections and surveys...more
January 30th, 2020 marked a dramatic change in Medicaid funding, as the Trump Administration and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) showcased a plan, called the “Healthy Adult Opportunity,” that would permit...more
On January 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its long awaited and highly anticipated State Medicaid Director Letter (SMD Letter) announcing the “Healthy Adult Opportunity” (HAO) initiative...more
On January 30, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released long-anticipated guidance that invites states to pursue capped funding demonstrations for the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion population as well...more
On November 4, Georgia released two draft waiver applications for public comment—a Section 1332 State Relief and Empowerment Waiver (“1332 waiver”) to restructure the state’s individual insurance market and a Section 1115...more
On November 4, 2019, Georgia officials announced a proposed Section 1115 demonstration waiver, referred to as the “Georgia Pathways Health Waiver,” to expand Georgia’s Medicaid program eligibility for non-disabled adults. If...more
On March 27, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg for the District of Columbia issued two opinions that struck down the Secretary of HHS’s approval of Medicaid work requirement waivers in Kentucky and Arkansas. ...more
The Utah Legislature adjourned at 11 p.m. on March 14th – a full hour before their hard stop midnight deadline. The Legislature passed a record 574 bills this year, which is a bit of a surprise when several weighty issues...more
In recent weeks, the states of California and Washington, and New York City have proposed expanding Medicaid eligibility for undocumented young adults. Given Medicaid’s combination of state and federal funding, House and...more
Health care issues will remain a central focus in Washington throughout 2019. Having gained control of the House following the 2018 mid-term elections, Democrats now have the ability to block President Trump's legislative...more
The Akerman Healthcare Practice Group, as part of its ongoing informational blogs and Practice Updates, will be publishing a series of articles, each outlining a significant healthcare industry issue from 2018, with an eye...more
With many states expanding Medicaid eligibility, individuals leaving jail or prison are now often able to enroll in health coverage upon release. It is increasingly clear, however, that coverage alone is insufficient to...more