Rural Health Transformation Program Overview

On December 29, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the inaugural state awards from the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program CMS Announces $50 Billion in Awards to Strengthen Rural Health in All 50 States | CMS. The program was created as a policy vehicle to mitigate the potential negative effects … Read more

Podcast: Why Both Parties Suck on Healthcare

Last month I joined Dan Horowitz’s show to provide a plan and a vision on the most important economic and fiscal issue. I explain how Republicans continue to push a luke warm, ineffective plan by accepting the premise of Obamacare while assuming responsibility for it. Dan and I converse on what would develop the ideal … Read more

Rural Healthcare Still Struggling

Seven hundred fifty-six rural hospitals in the United States are at risk of closure due to financial instability, with over 40% classified as being at immediate risk. These figures are derived from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform’s latest analysis, which utilizes current cost reports submitted to CMS and verified through December 2025. … Read more

Real Estate Market and Sr. Living Update

Over the years that I have authored this blog, a frequent theme or issue I am often asked to opine on is the connection between the residential real estate market and senior living sales. In June of this year, I did a post on this topic focusing on Life Plan sales and the residential real … Read more

Medicare Hospice TPE Basics and Update

Within the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss and review, the ongoing Medicare TPE program with a number of hospices and hospice folks. Suffice to say, there are more than a few questions and resultant (still) confusion over the audit process and claims denial in general. I hope this post provides some … Read more

Hospital-at-Home Waiver Ended – What Next?

Last week, I wrote a couple of posts regarding Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act/insurance premium subsidies and the government shutdown. The second of the two posts contained a quick summary of the shutdown impact on Hospital-at-Home programs. https://rhislop3.com/shutdown-is-over-the-pieces/ This post elaborates further on the Hospital-at-Home program, the end of the waiver, the end of the … Read more

Shutdown is Over: The Pieces

The longest government shutdown in United States history concluded on November 12. Yesterday, I wrote a post summarizing the process until resolution – https://rhislop3.com/congress-medicaid-subsidies-whats-next/ Despite the cessation of the shutdown, pivotal issues—most notably the future of enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which remain a point of contention for Democratic policymakers—are … Read more

CPI and Healthcare Inflation

This past week the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released May’s CPI (inflation) report.  Overall, the trend is improving with inflation now, month over month, increasing .1% vs. .2% in April.  On a 12 month basis, inflation has risen 2.4% (not seasonally adjusted). See below. Of the items that continue to run “hotter” than overall … Read more

Tough Housing Market = Life Plan Challenges

Over the years, I have written and spoken on the direct connection that Life Plan/CCRC organizations have with the residential real estate market. This is particularly true for entry fee Life Plan communities (CCRCs). https://rhislop3.com/real-estate-sales-report-news-worsens-for-ccrcs-life-plan-communities/ Today and across the recent six to nine months, the residential real estate market has been as illiquid (reduced sales) … Read more

VOHRA Wound Care Faces Medicare Fraud Claim

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a False Claims Act lawsuit on April 4, 2025, against Vohra Wound Physicians Management LLC, Dr. Ameet Vohra, and VHS Holdings, P.A., in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Case No. 25-cv-21570). The complaint alleges that since December 2017, Vohra engaged in a nationwide … Read more