Policymakers in Medicaid expansion states likely will try to wring some cash from hospitals starting in 2017 when the federal government no longer pays the full tab for the coverage expansion, experts say. Higher-than-expected enrollment means expansion states will be on the hook for hundreds of millions more than they anticipated when they took advantage… Continue reading States May Tap Hospitals To Help Pay For Medicaid Expansion In 2017

The CMS needs to be more transparent in its evaluation and approval of Medicaid demonstrations, the Government Accountability Office said Wednesday. The GAO asked Congress to step in because billions are being overspent and it blames the CMS for lack of oversight it says endangers the Medicaid program. The CMS didn’t attend the hearing. In… Continue reading CMS Skips Congressional Hearing Criticizing How Medicaid Demos Are Run

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Nexium Costs Program Most The CMS dropped new data Thursday detailing the $103 billion that Medicare’s Part D prescription drug program spent in 2013. The agency said the release was part of the Obama administration’s plan to make the healthcare system more transparent. The data show the names, locations and specialties of physicians and healthcare… Continue reading CMS Unleashes Part D Drug Data

Thousands of families with a disabled or deceased parent may have received a lower subsidy than they deserved to buy health coverage through the federal insurance marketplace as a result of a calculation error by the federal government. In addition, some who should have been eligible for Medicaid may have been turned away, leaving them on the… Continue reading Thousands May Have Been Shorted On Insurance Subsidies After Calculation Error

Only 251 U.S. hospitals receive top ranking on patient experience Just 251 U.S. hospitals got the highest score on a new five-star rating system the CMS rolled out Thursday. The new ratings are part of a broader initiative by the federal agency to use a five-star rating system across all of its Web pages intended… Continue reading New Hospital Rating System Announced by CMS

By Bob Herman for Modern Healthcare The CMS plans to more closely monitor Medicare Advantage insurers’ provider networks and may fine or otherwise sanction plans that don’t accurately show which doctors are available at in-network prices. New provisions related to provider networks and directories were included in the agency’s proposed 2016 rate notice (PDF), released… Continue reading Medicare May Penalize Advantage Plans for Faulty Provider Lists