Health invoices on CMS, infrastructure, eviction

This week’s dose

The Senate is approaching the finish line for the infrastructure package. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalize inpatient payment rule. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extend moratorium on evictions.

Congress

Senate to adopt bipartite infrastructure package

The Senate has two main tasks to complete before it leaves Washington: vote on the bipartisan $ 1,000 billion physical infrastructure bill (which requires at least 60 votes) and pass the $ 3.5 trillion budget resolution of the United States. Democrats (who only need a “simple majority.” infrastructure, whose adoption is widely expected, could begin over the weekend, while the vote on the budget resolution will likely take place later in the week next. form the basis of the partisan “human infrastructure” package that includes health and welfare policies championed by the Biden administration. The House is likely to postpone action until the Senate passes both. In the midst of all of this, government funding will run out by the end of September, which will require a temporary funding bill, that is, an ongoing resolution, in. ur avoid a shutdown. debt that the federal government can legally accumulate. Congress is due to consider raising the debt ceiling this fall. However, Republicans are strongly opposed to supporting such action, and it is not clear whether Democrats will tackle it as part of the partisan reconciliation plan or attempt to get it through a regular order, which could be difficult. without the support of Republicans.

While the bipartisan package looks set to be passed in the Senate, the details and the future of the budget resolution remain uncertain. Once the budget resolution is approved, no further action is likely to take place until the House returns in September. Major health policy proposals regarding drug prices, additional Medicare benefits and investments in home and community service workers and reducing the coverage gap in states that have not expanded Medicaid have all been widely discussed as components of the partisan human infrastructure package. Whether they are all included and in what form or duration are all difficult decision points that depend on tax compensations and maintaining the necessary votes for adoption. While no details are confirmed, Democrats have been reported to face the likelihood that the Human Infrastructure Bill may require deficit spending (spending more than they can compensate in other ways. , as noted by the Congressional Budget Office) – an outcome likely to deepen the difficulty of consensus around the package.

Administration

CMS released final payment rule for inpatients

the updated rules for fiscal year 2022 include a 2.7% increase in the standardized payment amount for hospitals that successfully participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) program and the CMS program to promote better use of electronic health records. Specifically, CMS has decided to finalize the proposal to make value-based payment adjustments to neutral hospitals for fiscal year 2022, which means payments are reimbursed at 100%. The final rule also included several policies aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID-19, including a decision to use Fiscal Year 2019 Healthcare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data for the 2022 rate setting process given the impact of the pandemic on inpatient utilization and case mix. in fiscal year 2020. Additionally, CMS has decided to grant one-year extensions for 13 technologies that received additional payments for new technologies last year. The agency noted that certain policies, including the allocation of 1,000 new graduate medical education slots created by the Consolidated Appropriations Act at the end of 2020, would be addressed in subsequent rule making.

CDC issued extended moratorium on evictions for communities with high COVID-19 spread

The agency issued the order Tuesday after pressure from House progressives sparked action from the Biden administration after the previous moratorium expired on July 31, 2021. The CDC cited the rise of the Delta variant and “unexpected developments in the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic ”as the reasons for the new order. While the agency said the ordinance only applied to counties and territories with “substantial or high levels of community transmission,” the vast majority of counties across the country fall into these two categories according to CDC Data. The measure aims to maintain housing stability, which the CDC calls a tactic to tackle the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, as state and local governments work to increase disbursement of $ 46 billion in funds allocated by the federal government. for rental assistance. The order expires on October 3, 2021.

Quick shots

• This week, twenty-nine members and partners of the Valued Based Care Coalition, providing care to more than one million patients in value-based models, sent a letter to the Biden administration pledging to support the ‘increased COVID-19 vaccination rates in their local communities. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, these Responsible Care Organizations (ACOs) and Direct Contracting Entities (DCEs) have outlined a three-pronged approach based on improving awareness, education and access to vaccines. Read the letter here.

• Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center published 2020 Report to Congress, outlining updates on more than three dozen models.

• CMS announcement 40% average premium reduction in US bailout tax credits for new and old customers in the health insurance market.

• Administration of health resources and services announcement it will provide $ 90 million to help fight opioid / substance use disorders and support maternal health care.

• CMS proposed a rule to enable home and community service workers to opt for benefits.

• Alliance for better health insurance report says Medicare Advantage plans are making progress in addressing the social determinants of health, but reforms in areas other than health care are still needed.

M + Resources

On this week Podcast on the break room, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock discuss how healthcare providers and healthcare professionals are viewed as leaders on COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

Diagnosis next week

The House remains on vacation. The Senate will seek to pass a budget resolution.