Policy and Legislation

The rule establishes DMEPOS fee schedule amounts and procedures for making benefit categories and payment determinations for new items and services.

Americans will be able to get a free rapid at-home test by request through the federal government.

The public health emergency needs to be extended past its current mid-January deadline for millions to keep their Medicaid coverage.

The rule requires all healthcare workers in facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid program to get vaccinated.

Over 700,000 more consumers have signed up for coverage this year than last year.

Average payments are $58,000 for small providers, $289,000 for medium providers, and $1.7 million for larger providers.

The court is establishing the precedent that states may make their own decisions on mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for certain groups.

The rule, which goes into effect in January, gives insurers incentive to exclude higher-cost specialized services from their networks, lawsuit says. 

This week's top stories include the formation of Telehealth Access for America, which aims to protect and expand access to telehealth, and a last-minute deal that averted massive cuts to reimbursement to hospitals and physicians.

In 2020, overdose deaths increased more than 30%, leading to more than 93,000 deaths, driven by fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.