Latest News On CMS

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Short-Staffed Nursing Homes See Drop In Medicare Ratings

KFF Health News Original

In its latest update to the Nursing Home Compare website, the government gave 1,638 homes its lowest star rating for staffing — one star on its five-star scale. Most were downgraded because payroll records reported no registered-nurse hours at all for at least four days.

Hospitals Chafe Under Medicare’s New Payment Rule For Off-Campus Clinics

KFF Health News Original

Under the rule that took effect this year, Medicare will lower payments for clinic visits performed at hospital-owned facilities to a rate that is equivalent to what it pays an independent doctor. Federal officials expect the move will save the government $380 million this year.

CMS Ignores Federal Judge Ruling To Approve Medicaid Work Rules in Utah

KFF Health News Original

Work helps make people healthier, CMS chief Seema Verma said in approving Utah’s waiver request to tie government health benefits to employment or volunteer work. But Judge James Boasberg has said that isn’t the goal of Medicaid.

Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong

KFF Health News Original

The U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts into electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the system is an unholy mess. Inside a digital revolution that took a bad turn.

Nursing Home Fines Drop As Trump Administration Heeds Industry Complaints

KFF Health News Original

Inspectors are citing nursing facilities for violating health and safety more often than during the Obama administration. But the average fine is nearly a third lower than it was before President Donald Trump took office.

Is New App From Feds Your Answer To Navigating Medicare Coverage? Yes And No

KFF Health News Original

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched this month the “What’s Covered” app, designed to provide yes-or-no answers about what services are covered under traditional Medicare. KHN took it for a test drive with real consumers.

Utah’s Novel Plan For Medicaid Expansion Opens Door To Spending Caps Sought By GOP

KFF Health News Original

Utah’s proposal to limit federal and state funding on Medicaid is a radical change. Anti-poverty advocates are concerned that caps could limit how many people are enrolled and restrict services. They also worry other states would adopt a similar plan.

Shrinking Medicaid Rolls In Missouri And Tennessee Raise Flag On Vetting Process

KFF Health News Original

State health officials say several factors, including the improved economy, are behind the 7 percent drop last year in Missouri and 9 percent reduction in Tennessee of Medicaid recipients. But advocates for the poor are worried the states’ efforts to weed out residents who are improperly enrolled has led to people mistakenly forced off the rolls.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ A ‘Healthy’ State Of The Union

KFF Health News Original

Health was a featured player in President Donald Trump’s 2019 State of the Union address. The president set goals to bring down prescription drug prices, end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. and cure childhood cancer, among other things. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and, for “extra credit,” provide their favorite health policy stories of the week. Rovner also interviews KHN senior correspondent Phil Galewitz about the current “Bill of the Month” feature.