Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Special Enrollment Periods Close, Officials Worry Americans Out Of Work Don't Know How To Seek Help
The Associated Press: 1st Deadlines For Laid-Off Workers To Get Health Insurance
Many laid-off workers who lost health insurance in the coronavirus shutdown soon face the first deadlines to qualify for fallback coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Taxpayer-subsidized health insurance is available for a modest cost — sometimes even free — across the country, but industry officials and independent researchers say few people seem to know how to find it. For those who lost their health insurance as layoffs mounted in late March, a 60-day “special enrollment” period for individual coverage under the ACA closes at the end of May in most states. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/25)
Modern Healthcare: HHS Will Redistribute Provider Grant Funds Returned By Insurers
HHS will redistribute provider grant funds that insurers and other entities have returned to the department in future funding tranches, an agency spokesperson said. Several insurers have said they received and chose to return unsolicited payments from the $30 billion that the HHS sent out based on Medicare fee-for-service reimbursement. The widespread reduction in doctors' visits and elective procedures amid the COVID-19 pandemic has drained providers of revenue but has so far benefited insurers' bottom lines. Large, publicly traded insurers don't expect the pandemic to negatively impact their 2020 earnings. (Cohrs, 5/22)
Modern Healthcare: Trump Administration Slow To Distribute Grants To Medicaid Providers
Eight weeks after Congress created a $100 billion fund to aid providers struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some providers that serve women, children and vulnerable populations still haven't gotten any of the money. CMS sent payments at warp speed to hospitals and providers that bill fee-for-service Medicare, starting distribution two weeks after the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The distribution wasn't perfect — HHS sent funds to hospitals that had closed and several insurers that ended up returning the money. But the department has taken the opposite approach in sending money to Medicaid providers. (Cohrs, 5/21)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Hospitals Got Massive Payouts For Coronavirus -- But It Might Not Be Enough
Louisiana’s health care facilities are set to receive over a billion dollars of federal coronavirus rescue funds, a staggering sum that demonstrates the depth of the crisis in area hospitals even as executives warn that the financial toll could end up being much bigger. The payout, which represents the state’s share of $72 billion in relief aid from the federal CARES Act that has been distributed so far to health care providers, was distributed to almost 5,000 facilities in Louisiana. (Woodruff, 5/25)
Modern Healthcare: April Was The Worst Month Ever For Hospital Operating Margins
Hospitals' operating margins continued to plummet in April as COVID-19 sunk revenues, new data show. Hospitals' median operating margin fell to negative 29% in April, dropping 282% relative to last year, according to Kaufman Hall's analysis of around 800 hospitals. As hospitals delayed non-urgent procedures to manage COVID-19 cases, operating room minutes decreased 61%—more than triple the decline seen in March. (Kacik, 5/21)
Modern Healthcare: OhioHealth CEO: Leaders Need Flexibility For COVID-19 Response
A former combat pilot and emergency room physician, Dr. Stephen Markovich knows a thing or two about performing under pressure. And those traits have certainly been tested as the president and CEO of Columbus-based OhioHealth has guided the 12-hospital system through the COVID-19 pandemic. He established an incident command center that meets daily and said he’s given his leadership team the autonomy they need to create a plan that’s flexible and adaptable. (Weinstock, 5/25)
Kaiser Health News: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Tips For Surviving COVID With Your Financial Health Intact
In early April, Katelyn was in a financial bind. At home and sick with COVID-19, she hadn’t been paid in weeks. And her bills were due. “My landlord is kinda beating down my door right now,” she said in a voicemail to the podcast hotline: (724) 276-6534; that’s 724 ARM N LEG. Weeks later, Katelyn got back in touch: She had made it through with her financial health intact, thanks to a combination of playing hardball with one company and knowing how to play nice with others. (Weissmann, 5/26)
