Senators urge Biden to pursue plans to invest in Medicaid HCBS
By
Joe Jancsurak
Feb 08, 2021
Several U.S. senators encouraged the administration to fulfill its campaign pledge to invest $450 billion in Medicaid home- and community-based care. In a Friday letter to President Biden and Vice President...
Spending on HCBS continues to comprise more than half of total Medicaid LTSS outlay, CMS finds
By
Joe Jancsurak
Jan 22, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently released the Medicaid LTSS Annual Expenditures Report for federal fiscal years (FFY) 2017 and 2018. This report discusses the long-term services and...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced the addition of 11 new services to the Medicare telehealth services list, which now totals 144.
New York home care providers say not so fast on legislation that would raise workers’ wages
By
Joe Jancsurak
Mar 22, 2021
New state Senate legislation that would raise home care workers’ wages does not provide sufficient funding for employers to cover that increase, the Home Care Association of New York told McKnight’s...
NAHC clears up confusion on face-to-face encounters, other questions stemming from COVID-19 statute
By
Joe Jancsurak
Mar 03, 2021
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice reports that it has received clarification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding some discrepancies between Medicare regulations...
Pandemic has bolstered LTSS, advocacy firm finds
By
Joe Jancsurak
Mar 02, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed state policymakers to make their Medicaid programs more flexible, analysts from Manatt Health, with funding from The SCAN Foundation, reveal in a recently published resource...
Virginia lawmakers pass bill giving home care workers sick leave
By
Joe Jancsurak
Mar 02, 2021
Virginia lawmakers voted 54-44 on Friday to approve a bill for providing home care workers with paid sick leave, which had been a divisive issue even among Democrats who control the Senate in the state.
Senators call for more than $1B in COVID-19 funding for seniors
By
Joe Jancsurak
Feb 17, 2021
As the House stands poised to pass a massive COVID-19 relief bill, there is a good chance home care will secure a portion of the package. Senators have proposed various funding measures for home- and community-based...
Number of MA beneficiaries receiving supplemental benefits for the chronically ill triples in one year,...
By
Joe Jancsurak
Feb 09, 2021
The number of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries receiving Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) has skyrocketed — from 1 million in 2020 to 3 million in 2021— according to a...
Increased funding would transform direct-care workforce, PHI policy head asserts
By
Joe Jancsurak
Feb 09, 2021
The Biden administration could transform the direct care workforce with stepped-up funding, according to PHI VP of Policy Robert Espinoza in a Monday op-ed piece.