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Future of U.S. Prevention Task Force in Question as Kennedy Cancels Meeting
A meeting cancellation has raised speculation over what Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has in store for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) The task force is an advisory panel that recommends what preventive services health insurers must cover fully under the Affordable Care Act. The task force was scheduled…
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Study: Illegal Immigrants Are Costing Texas Hospitals $122 Million Per Month
Texas hospitals spent $121.8 million in November 2024 on health care for individuals in the United States illegally, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) reports. Noncitizens without legal status made more than 31,000 hospital visits across Texas that month alone, the report states. The data was collected in compliance with Gov. Greg Abbott’s…
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ICE Uses Medicaid Enrollee Data to Facilitate Deportations
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using Medicaid enrollment data to facilitate deportations of people illegally in the United States. A coalition of 20 states, mostly Democrat-run, is suing the federal government to prevent ICE from accessing Medicaid enrollee data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Plaintiffs include California, Colorado, and…
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Illegal Immigrants Will Have Health Care Options – Interview
The era of “free health care” for people not living lawfully in the United States is waning as states such as California, Illinois, and Minnesota begin to pause or eliminate Medicaid enrollment for this population. Fourteen states and Washington, DC provide coverage for low-income immigrant children, and seven of those states and DC cover eligible…
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New Analysis Shows Medicaid Cuts Will Have Smaller Impact on Medicaid
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says the Medicaid provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will leave 7.8 million people without health insurance by 2034, not 10.3 million or more as claimed in earlier estimates. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) wrote…
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Big ACA Plan Price Hikes Expected
Preliminary filings by insurers on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges indicate premiums for the coming year will be 15 percent higher over last year, the biggest increase since 2018. An analysis by Peterson-KFF noted two factors insurers have already cited to justify higher premiums: the elimination of premium tax credits and imposition of tariffs…
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Florida Takes New Approach to Hospital Price Transparency: Subpoenas
Florida Attorney General James Ulthmeier has taken action against several hospital systems in his state, including subpoenas, to ensure they are complying with President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring hospitals to provide “clear, accurate and actionable health care pricing information.” Ulthmeier issued subpoenas on May 30 to Southern Baptist of Florida and AdventHealth, the Orlando…
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Medicare Advantage ‘Coding’ Loopholes Targeted in New Bill
Responding to criticisms lodged against an otherwise popular program among seniors, Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a bill to improve the way Medicare Advantage (MA) providers determine patients’ health risks, to eliminate overpayment. The bipartisan No Unreasonable Payments, Coding, and Diagnoses for the Elderly (No UPCODE) Act aims at saving…
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Senate Considers Ending More-Expensive Hospital Rates Under Medicare
The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would mandate “site-neutral” reimbursement in Medicare, eliminating the rule that pays hospitals more for services that can often be provided at a lower cost elsewhere. The Congressional Budget Office estimates implementing site-neutral payments for hospital outpatient departments could save taxpayers roughly $157 billion over 10 years. Over that…
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New Iowa Law Reins in Pharmacy Benefit Managers
A new law in Iowa requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reimburse pharmacies based on average state or national drug prices instead of negotiated rates and stops PBMs from favoring a specific pharmacy to fill a prescription. Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa signed the bill on June 11, saying it was necessary to improve accountability…
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