SNAPShots

SNAPShots

MACPAC Looks at Medicaid DSH

Hospitals that serve especially large numbers of Medicaid and low-income patients still need Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments (Medicaid DSH) to avoid red ink despite the expansion of Medicaid and the increase in the number of uninsured people fostered by the Affordable Care Act.
So concludes the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) the non-partisan legislative branch agency that advises Congress, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the states on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program issues.
In its March 2017 report to Congress, MACPAC writes that

In both expansion and non-expansion states, deemed DSH hospitals, which are statutorily required to receive DSH payments because they serve a high share of Medicaid-enrolled and low-income patients, continue to report negative operating margins before DSH payments.

This finding reflects the experience of Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals, most of which consider Medicaid DSH to be absolutely critical to their financial health and continued ability to serve their communities.

Learn more about this evaluation, and other facets of the Medicaid DSH program, in this March 2017 report from MACPAC to Congress.  Find a summary of the report here.

2017-03-24T06:00:43+00:00March 24th, 2017|Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments|Comments Off on MACPAC Looks at Medicaid DSH

MACPAC Meets, Discusses Medicaid Issues

Members of the non-partisan legislative branch agency that advises Congress, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the states on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program matters met in Washington recently to discuss a number of issues.
On the agenda of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission were the following issues:

  • state Medicaid flexibility
  • state Medicaid responses to fiscal pressures
  • a study requested by Congress on mandatory and optional benefits and populations
  • current Medicaid parallels to per capita financing options
  • illustrations of state-level effects of per capita cap design elements
  • high-cost hepatitis C drugs
  • the role of section 1915(b) waivers in Medicaid managed care

Because Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals serve so many Medicaid and CHIP participants, MACPAC’s deliberations are especially important and relevant to them.
Go here for a link to overviews of these issues and the presentations offered at the MACPAC meeting.

2017-03-23T06:00:24+00:00March 23rd, 2017|Federal Medicaid issues, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals, Uncategorized|Comments Off on MACPAC Meets, Discusses Medicaid Issues

MACPAC Meets, Discusses Medicaid, CHIP Issues

The non-partisan legislative branch agency that advises Congress, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the states on a variety of Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program issues met last week in Washington, D.C.
Among the issues on the agenda of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission were:

  • the flexibility of states in structuring and administering their Medicaid and CHIP programs
  • state Medicaid responses to fiscal pressures
  • studies requested by Congress on mandatory/optional benefits and populations
  • current Medicaid parallels to per capita financing options
  • illustrations of state-level effects of per capita cap design elements
  • high-cost hepatitis C drugs in Medicaid
  • the role of section 1915(b) waivers in Medicaid managed care

Because Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals serve so many low-income Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries, MACPAC’s deliberations are often very important to them.
Go here, to the MACPAC web site, for links to documents on all of these subjects.
 

2017-03-09T06:00:59+00:00March 9th, 2017|Federal Medicaid issues|Comments Off on MACPAC Meets, Discusses Medicaid, CHIP Issues
Go to Top