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
Editor’s Note: There is mounting evidence that addressing the social and economic factors that drive the majority of health outcomes, often called social drivers of health (DOH), can improve health, promote health equity and...more
I. Introduction - Since 2014, states have had the option to expand Medicaid eligibility to most adults with incomes under 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL; approximately $30,300 in annual earnings for a family...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
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 May 31, 2019, Utah released a draft Section 1115 waiver application, the Per Capita Cap Demonstration, for public comment. The proposal seeks to create a new Section 1115 demonstration that, if granted, would break new...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
In an unexpectedly broad ruling issued December 14, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas declared the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) as unconstitutional in its entirety. This decision, if ultimately...more
On November 20, 2018, Virginia submitted an application to CMS for a Section 1115 demonstration program entitled Virginia COMPASS (Creating Opportunities for Medicaid Participants to Achieve Self-Sufficiency). The application...more
Tuesday’s midterm elections showed that healthcare is now a top issue among voters, according to exit polls. In an NBC News poll, healthcare was the top issue for a plurality of voters, ahead of the economy, immigration, and...more
Healthcare was a top voter priority in the 2018 midterm elections, with 41 percent of national voters stating that healthcare was their "most important" issue. Accordingly, the Democratic strategy to focus on healthcare...more
This week, we as stakeholders and political observers hit a tangible milestone with the midterms. How this Tuesday goes will mean a lot in the health care for the next two years, and carries the potential to drastically alter...more
On June 7, 2018, Virginia joined 32 other states and the District of Columbia in expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act to adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL). After rejecting...more
Earlier this month, Virginia became the 33rd state to expand its Medicaid program, and voters in Idaho, Montana and Utah are expected to decide in November ballot initiatives whether to join them. Medicaid provides health...more
To date, 34 states (including D.C.) have adopted Medicaid expansion. Of the remaining 17 states, some are considering expanding Medicaid. States with recent activity relating to Medicaid expansion include Florida, Idaho,...more
In November 2017, Maine voters approved a referendum to implement expansion of MaineCare under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). As Maine’s legislature...more
Congress passed a funding bill early this morning just after the February 8th deadline. The new legislation will make several changes to the Medicare program, delay cuts to disproportionate share hospitals, provide two years...more