Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
Information and discussion on general federal health policy and politics – including Medicare, Health Reform and all other subjects Fed.
Policy Options and Alternatives to Reduce Medicaid Costs This is part three of a series I wrote on Medicaid spending reductions (proposed). Recent Republican budgets have targeted Medicaid for $800 plus billion in spending reductions. This final post in the series covers the likely choices available from a policy perspective, to achieve the savings target. … Read more
Potential Impacts of Medicaid Cuts on Beneficiaries and Providers This is Part II of a series I researched and produced on Medicaid cuts. The third, which I will edit and post later in the week, will wrap it up. With healthcare spending a major economic issue, I hope these few posts provided context for readers … Read more
Medicaid potential spending cuts have been in the news, elevated by the passage of the recent Republican Continuing (spending) Resolution. As Donald Trump ran and got elected on a platform of spending reduction/debt reduction (austerity) including the activation of DOGE (Dept. of Government Efficiency) to identify spending reduction opportunities, program behemoths like Medicare and Medicaid … Read more
Medicare home health and hospice billing fraud has emerged as a significant issue within the U.S. healthcare system, costing taxpayers billions of dollars annually and jeopardizing the integrity of federal health programs. Fraudulent practices in this sector not only drain public resources but also compromise the quality of care provided to vulnerable populations, including the … Read more
According to a Feb. 11 report by Chartis, 432 rural hospitals are at risk of closure. Chartis analyzed 15 indicators and identified 10 significant predictors, including Medicaid expansion status, average length of stay, occupancy, changes in net patient revenue, and years of negative operating margin. The full report is available here: CCRH WP – 2025 … Read more
Introduction Mr. Musk’s DOGE team has requested access to CMS systems, which manage over $1 trillion in annual payments, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. This initiative, led by Mr. Musk’s longtime associate Steve Davis, aligns with a broader effort to reduce federal spending by scrutinizing payments and contracts. Hospital and health … Read more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the agency recovered $2.9 billion in resolutions to federal False Claims Act allegations for 2024 (fiscal year ending September 30). This is a slight increase from the historic $2.7 billion recovered in fiscal year 2023. Office of Public Affairs | False Claims Act Settlements and Judgments Exceed $2.9B … Read more
A Colorado federal judge last Wednesday certified a class of stockholders in a securities suit against InnovAge (https://www.innovage.com/) alleging the senior health care company made misleading statements in its initial public offering that later caused stock prices to fall post a government audit that exposed false statements. Three public pension funds based in Texas and … Read more
Last week via a member news release from Leading Age Minnesota, the specter of federalized Assisted Living regulation popped up. Per this release, legislation enabling federal assisted living regulation of some form is anticipated to be proposed by U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) prior to the year’s end. The primary outcome of what Senator Kelly … Read more
Back in 2019, CMS issued revisions to Appendix Q of the State Operations Manual pertaining to Immediate Jeopardy considerations (on the part of surveyors) and ultimately, citation decisions. This guidance was relevant for all provider and supplier types participating in Medicare (hospitals, home health, SNFs, etc.). In late October, CMS issued guidance on penalties. What … Read more