The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday proposed new reporting rules for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Programs health plans, that would, among other things, set national standards for appointment wait times and require disclosure of provider payment rates.
Why it matters: The moves add transparency and accountability requirements for Medicaid managed care plans that serve the majority of program beneficiaries. They come as states begin a sweeping redetermination of Medicaid eligibility accompanying the end of the COVID public health emergency.
More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults without access to a vehicle or public transportation missed or skipped a medical appointment in the previous year, according to a new study that sheds light on a key social driver of health equity.
Why it matters: While telehealth may have reduced transportation barriers for mental health, primary care and some other services, it's not accessible to all and can't substitute for in-person care for some medical needs, the Urban Institute researchers wrote.
Ketamine use is surging as veterans and people with persistent depression look for alternative treatments. But the industry that's sprung up around that demand is showing signs of buckling, leaving some patients stranded without support.
The big picture: The shutdown of some brick-and-mortar ketamine clinics has injected more uncertainty into an industry fueled by the broader psychedelics boom that has no oversight or standardized treatment protocols.
Two bills severely restricting abortion in South Carolina and Nebraska's Republican-dominated legislatures both failed to pass on Thursday.
Driving the news: A near-total abortion ban failed to pass in South Carolina's Senate by 22 votes to 21 — marking the third time such a measure hasn't passed in a GOP-led chamber since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, AP notes.
My daughter Sophie's high school art teacher, Kate Elkins, told her to never throw away a canvas. Finish the piece, even if you hate it. Improvise.
Why it matters: A Ukrainian artist — Anatolii Tarasiuk, whose story will blow your mind and still your heart — in recent weeks showed Sophie, and all of us, just how far you can stretch that canvas to improvise far beyond art.
🖼️ The big picture: Anatolii's dramatic story reminded me how much about a startup, daily business decisions, relationships ... and life is about improvising in scary or uncertain moments that help define us.
Washington is now one of a dozen states that have enacted laws to try to stop other states' restrictive abortion policies from crossing state lines.
Driving the news: Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law Thursday that will prevent law enforcement officials and courts in Washington from aiding other states' abortion-related investigations.
Kaiser Permanenteon Wednesday acquired the Pennsylvania nonprofit Geisinger Health in what, if approved, would be the biggest hospital acquisition so far this year.
Why it matters: The acquisition represents the beginning of an expansion for Kaiser Permanente, which plans to add five or six more health systems to its Risant Health network in the next five years and invest $5 billion in the nonprofit enterprise.
Momentum is building in Congress to address the way hospitals charge more for the same services private doctors deliver in their offices— a sign of broader lawmaker frustration with the industry.
Driving the news: Lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee showed bipartisan interest Wednesday in changing Medicare payment policies to pay the same for some services, regardless of where they're delivered.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging Tennessee's new law that bans gender-affirming care for minors, which is due to take effect on July 1.
Driving the news: The DOJ argues in its court filing that the legislation violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
