Medicaid maneuvering in the lame-duck

Lawmakers are considering ending measures that have prevented states from pushing people off Medicaid during the pandemic — and guardrailing the change, according to seven people inside and outside Capitol Hill with knowledge of the debate. or other policies aimed at avoiding loss of coverage.

Such actions could include phasing out enhancement funds that the federal government has paid to state Medicaid programs for about three years. Given that congressional negotiators are still battling over the top-line spending deal, the conversation is very fluid, officials warned.

However, the outlook could serve as an important negotiating tool as both parties battle over what health policy will be put together in the year-end package.

Republicans are desperate to relax pandemic-era Medicaid rules so they can save government money and help pay for other medical bills. Axios first reported A previous rollback had taken place. Meanwhile, Democrats are trying to impose guardrails on states as they reevaluate who is eligible for safety-net programs and other policies to ensure new mothers and children have health insurance. increase.

In March 2020, Congress passed legislation that essentially gives states options for dealing with Americans who lose their jobs and health insurance benefits.The federal government will give the states 6.2 percent More federal funds to help pay for their Medicaid program as long as they pledge not to kick anyone out of the program.

All states and territories jumped on the deal. The funding increase was designed to last until the end of the quarter when the Biden administration removes the coronavirus public health emergency. Medicaid officials are nervous about when it will end and want some certainty. Because it won’t.

Meanwhile, advocates of Medicaid worry that millions of people who have lost health insurance may not know they can qualify for a private plan.

Republicans have tried to rescind provisions that encourage people not to touch the Medicaid roll. Phased out enhanced federal subsidies and eligibility for states to stay on Medicaid, according to people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to be candid. I have one idea to make it possible to redetermine someone with

But to secure a deal, Democrats will need to pack their own priorities into the package.

• Several people pointed out a potential guardrail on the state’s process for re-evaluating who is still eligible for Medicaid. promoted by the Democratic Party In the past. This could probably consist of data reporting requirements or limits on the number of changes a state can handle in a month, all of which are also very fluid.
• Some leading Democrats also 12 months postpartum state mandatory and permanent Medicaid, It also includes a requirement that a child not be ineligible for 12 consecutive months, even if the family’s income fluctuates.

Republican staff confirmed that they would consider the guardrail proposal in negotiations about how quickly a reassessment of Medicaid coverage could begin.

In letters sent to Hill in recent weeks, National Association of Medicaid Directors I’m baffled at decoupling Medicaid’s reassessment from the end of the public health emergency. They called for firm timelines for when such redetermination would begin, 6.2 percent Increased federal funding will be gradually phased out over time.

“What we are most eager for is certainty about what this will look like and escape from the guessing game about the future of the public health emergency. You have to continually revise your operational plan, revise your budget assumptions, and revise your messages and communications. “ Said Jack RollinsDirector of Federal Policy at NAMD.

How Fintech Facilitated Coronavirus-Assisted Scams

A handful of financial technology firms have raised billions in their work reviewing applications for federal programs designed to help small businesses at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, but have plagued relief programs. reportedly overlooked signs of fraud. Tony Rom report.

The allegations are summarized in a massive 120-page report released yesterday. House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus CrisisThis is the latest chapter in a story that highlights how lax government oversight and the rush to deliver cash to pandemic-ravaged businesses has created a situation ripe for exploitation.

The company was to help applicants complete paperwork and act as an intermediary to process requests for assistance from the government. payroll protection program On behalf of banks and other large financial institutions. However, the report alleges that the companies did not employ adequate staff to deter fraud and used questionable business practices when screening loans.

for example: A lesser known company blue acorn, told employees in the midst of the pandemic to “push through” applications, even if they seemed suspicious. The employees and contractors later told congressional investigators they were ill-prepared to carry out the task, and one witness said they submitted his PPP loan of 300 to the government. claimed. Small and Medium Enterprise Agency before training.

In doing so, Blueacorn often prioritized the highest-paying applications and created an internal “VIPPP” label to ensure its largest borrowers, who promised hefty fees, received expedited processing, says Tony. is writing . The company has collected $1 billion in taxpayer-funded fees for its work.

A contractor working with Blueacorn rejected the report’s conclusions. The company did not respond to the Post’s request for comment, nor did one of its co-founders.

House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus Crisis:

How China’s vaccine strategy fueled a looming ‘zero-coronavirus’ crisis

president Xi Jinping His advisers have so far rejected the use of Western-developed messenger RNA vaccines, which experts believe are the most effective and flexible vaccine technology. Carolyn Y. Johnson, Kate Cadell When Joel Achenbach report.

The low efficacy of the two main vaccines made in China was of concern early in the pandemic when global health experts suggested adding a third dose to protect older people. I was. This adds another layer of complexity to the country’s movements potentially relaxing A rigorous pursuit of “zero covid”, especially since the natural immunity of the population is low.

Three years after the global public health emergency, China faces the challenge of introducing boosters from foreign countries, even those tailored to combat Omicron variants. Experts are generally in agreement that it fails to address the core problem it is dealing with. vaccination. Earlier this week, health officials announced a new plan to increase booster coverage among older people.

Pregnant and Desperate in Post-Roe America

In Polarization, the Postegg In America, the experiences that receive widespread attention are usually the most harrowing, and more mundane stories are often lost in the discussion.Our Colleagues caroline kitchener Yesterday, I took a deep dive into the private lives of three women seeking abortions who live in states where abortion is strictly prohibited. Here are three details about her that stand out in the story.

Oklahoma teenage girls: “Lilith waited until her father was asleep that night to start researching abortion clinics. I had to, after 20 weeks the surgery would cost over $1,000, Gasoline and hotel bills will increase. Her job at the sandwich shop was $9.25 an hour,” she wrote Caroline.

1 week delay: Kae, 24, scheduled an ultrasound as soon as she found out she was pregnant. I was well aware that ultrasounds were banned in Ohio after detecting fetal heart activity or from around the sixth week of her pregnancy. By her estimate, it took her days to get the abortion.

At the appointment, the sonographer said the vaginal ultrasound wasn’t enough to determine the date of her pregnancy and told her to come back in a week.

At her next appointment, which turned out to be a critical pregnancy center, the sonographer played a sound she identified as a heartbeat. “A one-week delay was the difference between legal and illegal abortion,” Caroline wrote.

Second thought: When Taylor, 27, from Georgia, first found out she was pregnant, she didn’t think about having a baby. It was during her ultrasound that she began to question her own decisions. That was when a nurse in Florida walked her through a script of state-mandated information describing her procedure and handed her an ultrasound of her fetus.

She had a collision hours before her planned abortion. “Then, at 7:30 am on the day of her appointment, she finally accepted not to get out of bed,” Caroline wrote.

• New 988 mental health hotline in the country experiencedWidespread nationwide system outage“Yesterday. Text and chat support remain available, according to an HHS spokesperson. Sarah Lovenheim.
• pocket naloxone company Plans to apply for FDA approval next year of that overdose inverted nasal swab For over-the-counter use, preliminary data show that the drug works faster than the prescription-only version. wall street journal report.
• The Texas Medical Association third lawsuit against the Biden administration Enforcement of laws to protect consumers from surprise medical costs. In its latest lawsuit, the association argues that some of the final rules are too favorable to insurers.

Many nursing homes are understaffed. how do they get around it? (Jayme Fraser, Nick Penzenstadler and Jeff Kelly Lowenstein | USA Today)

Alabama case of false pregnancy highlights risks for post-Roe world (By Hassan Kanu | Reuters)

Addiction treatment advocates urge local clinicians to cooperate by prescribing drugs (By Tony Leys | Kaiser Health News)

thank you for reading! see you on monday.