Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccine Approved For Emergency Use Wouldn't Be Covered By Medicare
The Wall Street Journal: Medicare Wouldn’t Cover Costs Of Administering Coronavirus Vaccine Approved Under Emergency-Use Authorization
Medicare wouldn’t cover the cost of administering any coronavirus vaccine approved for emergency use, leaving Trump administration officials exploring options to quickly fix the government’s plan to make the vaccine free for all Americans. Lawmakers in March passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or Cares Act, which ensures free coronavirus vaccine coverage, including no out-of-pocket costs for people on Medicare. But Medicare doesn’t cover costs for drugs approved under emergency-use designations. (Armour, 9/21)
In other Medicare and industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Federal Funding Bill Relaxes Medicare Loan Repayment Terms, Delays DSH Cuts
House Democrats' bill to extend funding for the federal government through mid-December included a provision that would relax repayment terms for COVID-19 Medicare loans. CMS Administrator Seema Verma confirmed on Friday that the agency is delaying recoupment on the Medicare loans as lawmakers haggled over legislation to avoid a government shutdown weeks before an election. The bill would also extend funding for several Medicare and Medicaid policies including delaying cuts to disproportionate-share hospital payments until Dec. 11. (Cohrs, 9/22)
FierceHealthcare: Verma: CMS Will Mull Which COVID-19 Flexibilities May Stick Around Post-Pandemic
The Trump administration has rolled out a slew of policies aimed at offering greater flexibility to payers and providers amid COVID-19. But what changes are likely to stick around long-term? Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma said the agency will comb back through its policymaking under the pandemic and consider which, if any, of the changes will stick around once the country emerges from that situation. The administration has heard plenty of positive feedback from payers and providers around the adjustments, particularly around easing access to telehealth, Verma said Monday during a fireside chat at Fierce Healthcare’s Virtual Series on Medicare Advantage. (Minemyer, 9/22)
Kaiser Health News: Rural Hospitals Teeter On Financial Cliff As COVID Medicare Loans Come Due
David Usher is sitting on $1.7 million he’s scared to spend.The money lent from the federal government is meant to help hospitals and other health care providers weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet some hospital administrators have called it a payday loan program that is now, brutally, due for repayment at a time when they still need help. Coronavirus cases have “picked up recently and it’s quite worrying,” said Usher, chief financial officer at the 12-bed Edwards County Medical Center in rural western Kansas. Usher said he would like to use the money to build a negative-pressure room, a common strategy to keep contagious patients apart from those in the rest of the hospital. (Tribble, 9/22)
