Word from Washington: June 2023
Medicaid disenrollments are now underway in about 40 states, as part of the Medicaid “unwinding.” Medicaid unwinding, recall, is shorthand for the resumption of regular Medicaid eligibility reviews and terminations, following a three-year pause during the COVID public health emergency. Unfortunately, early reports from 26 states show that at more than 1.5 million Medicaid […]
Word from Washington: May 2023
Lawmakers in May devoted close attention to the role that pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) play in our health care system. PBMs are middlemen that create and administer drug formularies on behalf of health insurers, self-insured employers, Medicaid, and other payers. PBMs choose which drugs a plan will cover, negotiate drug prices on behalf of payers, […]
The HELP Copays Act moves forward – now in the Senate as well as in the House
Protections for people who rely on copay assistance have been a top priority for HFA and many other patient groups for several years. That effort took a big step forward in April with the introduction of a first-ever Senate version (S. 1375) of the HELP Copays Act. Sponsored by Sens. Kaine, Marshall, Markey, and Ernst, […]
The Importance of Copay Assistance Protections: Awareness Grows
For over three decades, March has been designated “Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month.” HFA and member organizations across the country mark the occasion with monthlong education and advocacy activities – social media outreach, state and local proclamations and resolutions, Hill Days, and more. In March 2023, as in past years, HFA was pleased to take part […]
The Complexity of Unwinding Medicaid
The long-heralded Medicaid “unwinding” has begun. As previously reported, state Medicaid programs have, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, operated under a law that prohibited them from disenrolling Medicaid enrollees for the duration of the public health emergency (PHE). Congress changed that requirement in December 2022, delinking the Medicaid continuous enrollment obligation from the PHE. […]
Word from Washington: January 2023
HFA reports on a particularly concerning insurance problem unfolding in Tennessee, and how HFA is responding; news on Medicaid eligibility reviews; changes in blood donation policy; and much more.
Word from Washington: December 2022
On December 23rd, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion year-end spending package that averts a government shutdown and funds the government through September 2023. The 4,000+ page omnibus bill contains numerous important health provisions affecting Medicaid, telehealth, the accelerated approval pathway for new drugs, and more. The legislation sets a date (April 1, 2023) for the […]
Word from Washington: November 2022
Midterm elections are mostly wrapped up as November draws to a close. The race between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker heads to a runoff in early December, but regardless of the outcome in that contest, control of the U.S. Senate remains – narrowly – with the Democrats. Control of the House of Representatives, by […]
Open Enrollment For Insurance Plans Begins Again
Open enrollment is a time frame each year when health insurance plans are required by law to accept applications from new plan enrollees regardless of their health history. This also is the time when you can choose to stay with your existing health plan if it is the right one for you. Open enrollment dates […]
Statement from Patient Groups in Response to Court Ruling on Cost-Free Coverage of Preventive Health Services
HFA and 25 other patient groups issued the following statement in response to Wednesday's court ruling in Braidwood v. Becerra (a lawsuit formerly known as Kelley v. Becerra): "The ruling on September 7 by a federal district judge in Texas could significantly undermine access to required cost-free coverage for preventive services in the Affordable Care […]
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