Tag: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Update: Facilitating Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment
Posted by Nikki Hurt on June 19, 2013
This Implementation Brief Update discusses CMS’ May 17, 2013, State Health Official Letter, the purpose of which is to advise states on options to facilitate Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and renewal. The letter lays out “optional strategies that can help make significant progress toward reducing the number of uninsured individuals” as well as “optional tools to help states manage the transition to their new eligibility and enrollment systems and coverage of new Medicaid enrollees.” The letter is intended to help states make the transition to the simplified Medicaid and CHIP enrollment system that must be in place in all states beginning January 1, 2014, in accordance with ACA §2201. The mandatory nature of the enrollment simplification requirement was not affected by the United States Supreme Court’s decision in NFIB v Sebelius, which permits states to opt out of the adult Medicaid eligibility expansion group…
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HHS proposed rule covers a slew of ACA provisions
Posted by Nikki Hurt on June 14, 2013
Today, the US Department of Health and Human Services released a proposed rule addressing various facets of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The 253 page document expands upon guidance previously released to states and stakeholders, covering topics ranging from financial integrity and additional oversight of Exchanges to options available under the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). Key provisions provided in the proposed rule include:
- Qualified health plans must accept a wide variety of payment options for premiums. A recent Jackson Hewitt study found a large number of uninsured Americans lack bank accounts, and restrictive payment policies excluding money orders and prepaid debit cards would impede the ability of these uninsured Americans to gain insurance access.
- Additional guidance was provided for federally-facilitated Exchange (FFE) states that choose to operate their own SHOP market while the federal government maintains oversight of their individual market, known as the Utah plan. The proposed rule states that data sharing requirements between SHOP and individual markets do not apply in these arrangements. Additionally, states operating their own SHOP Exchange can have their own set of Navigators, separate from the individual market, that perform outreach to small businesses.
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CMS releases additional hospital spending data
Posted by Nikki Hurt on June 3, 2013
In an expansion to the hospital charges data released last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provided data describing charges for 30 different outpatient procedures. The data include charge estimates for Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups, which are paid under the Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System. Presented data are hospital-specific and report charge values collected during calendar year 2011.
CMS also released data on geographic variations in Medicare public use and Medicare utilization by those with chronic conditions.
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Administration released final rule on employee-sponsored wellness programs
Posted by Nikki Hurt on May 29, 2013
A joint rule released by the US Department of Labor (DoL), the US Department of the Treasury (DoT), and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) addresses new provisions regarding participatory wellness programs in the workplace. Workplace wellness programs are designed to reduce the prevalence of chronic disease, stifle growing health care costs, and improve overall health by rewarding employees for participating in certain activities, such as educational classes or obtaining memberships to fitness centers. The final rule sets the maximum reword for completion of a nondiscriminatory health-contingent wellness program to 30% of coverage costs, up from the original 20%. Employees that successfully complete tobacco-related wellness programs are eligible for up to 50% of cost of coverage.
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CMS State Resources FAQ: Medicaid Eligibility Determinations, Medicaid/Exchange Interactions, and §1115 Demonstrations that Use Enrollment Caps
Posted by Nikki Hurt on May 22, 2013
The interaction between Medicaid and Exchanges around eligibility determination issues represents one of the most important and complex aspects of the ACA. An estimated 28 million adults, along with 19 million children, can be expected to transition at least once annually between insurance affordability programs, as Medicaid and premium subsidies are termed under implementing CMS regulations. Collaboration between Medicaid agencies and Exchanges is essential in order to avert unnecessary delays in eligibility determinations and breaks in coverage that in turn can affect not only the affordability of care but access itself, given the link between coverage and health care access through plans’ provider networks…
CMS sets PCIP payment at Medicare rates
Posted by Nikki Hurt on May 20, 2013
In an Interim Final Rule released Friday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that as of June 15th, payment rates for the federal Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) will be set to those of Medicare. Until the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), many Americans with pre-existing conditions were denied insurance coverage or charged exorbitantly high premiums. PCIP, which was created under the ACA, was allocated $5 billion to enable those with pre-existing conditions to obtain insurance prior to 2014. 135,000 otherwise uninsured individuals with pre-existing conditions were granted coverage under PCIP, with claims averaging $32,108 per enrollee. Changes in PCIP payments were authorized in order to ensure program solvency until 2014. One specific example is the provision in which payments to skilled nursing facilities may be reduced by 50% as of June 15, 2013.
Enrollment in federal PCIP programs was capped in February due to funding concerns. Enrollment in the 27 state-operated PCIP programs was suspended several weeks later. As of now, 17 of the state-operated PCIP programs will be administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the duration of the year.
Enrollment in federal PCIP programs was capped in February due to funding concerns. Enrollment in the 27 state-operated PCIP programs was suspended several weeks later. As of now, 17 of the state-operated PCIP programs will be administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the duration of the year.
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CCIIO provides additional guidance on Navigators and Marketplace assistance
Posted by Nikki Hurt on May 17, 2013
The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) issued additional information on navigators and other consumer assistance and outreach programs provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The document expands upon the standards with which these assistors must comply, available grant funding, and the differences between the assistance programs.
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CCIIO releases Marketplace FAQ
Posted by Nikki Hurt on
The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), a division of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), recently posted new guidance concerning federally-facilitated and state-based Exchanges (Marketplaces) established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The guidance purports that if states do not adhere to and enforce the requisite standards for health insurance issuers in federally-facilitated Exchanges, then CMS intends to coerce enforcement through civil penalties and plan decertification. CMS does not believe that decertification will be a common occurrence. In addition, the guidance stated that qualified health plans (QHP) paired with health savings accounts (HSA) must meet the cost-sharing reduction standards that apply to low income-individuals.
CCIIO published additional guidance that expands upon which activities, in both federally-facilitated and state-based Marketplaces, that qualify for grant funding under ACA Section 1311. For instance, state-based Marketplaces are not permitted to use this funding for navigator outreach and education, yet they are allowed to use Section 1311 funds for “in-person assistance programs.”
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CMS releases DSH payment proposed rule
Posted by Nikki Hurt on May 14, 2013
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule concerning reductions to Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments. Pursuant to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal government had intended to cut DSH payments beginning in 2014, as the law’s Medicaid expansion would negate the need for such payments. Since the Supreme Court’s decision rendered Medicaid expansion optional, the federal government has elected to delay the DSH payment reduction until 2015 when they have a more accurate assessment of the nation’s uncompensated care level after initial implementation of the ACA.
A fact sheet summarizing the rule can be found here.
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CMS releases data on hospital charges
Posted by Nikki Hurt on May 8, 2013
In an effort to increase health care affordability and transparency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published data pertaining to hospital charges for the 100 most common services provided during Medicare inpatient stays. With more than 163,000 entries, the data released by CMS indicated wide variation in costs, both across the country and within similar regions. For instance, a joint replacement procedure can cost $5,300 in Ada, Oklahoma, while a similar procedure may cost upwards of $223,000 in Monterey Park, California. Similarly, heart failure treatments can cost anywhere between $9,000 and $51,000 in Jackson, Mississippi. To further promote the spirit of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will also be offering grants for entities to collect and analyze medical pricing and reimbursement data to aid consumers in their health care decision-making and promoting cost-effective care.
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- State Health Insurance Exchange Navigators posted on February 28, 2011
- CMS State Resources FAQ: Medicaid Eligibility Determinations, Medicaid/Exchange Interactions, and §1115 Demonstrations that Use Enrollment Caps posted on May 22, 2013
- Reform Overview posted on April 12, 2010
- The QHP Certification Process in Federally-Facilitated Exchanges: Network Adequacy and Essential Community Providers posted on March 27, 2013
- Update: Essential Health Benefits Final Rule posted on March 13, 2013
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