- Students From Across the State Emphasized the Need for Mental Health Resources in Rural Alaska During a Conference
- The South Was the Center of Rural Population Growth Last Year
- How HHS SUD Confidentiality Regulations Will Impact Rural Providers
- VA Announces Expansion of "Close to Me" Cancer Program as Part of the Cancer Moonshot, Bringing Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Closer to Thousands of Veterans
- Navajo Psychiatrist Bridges Gaps Between Native American Culture and Behavioral Health Care
- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
- Rural Jails Turn to Community Health Workers To Help the Newly Released Succeed
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Historic Action to Increase Access to Quality Care, and Support to Families and Care Workers
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Miles for Milk: How Student-Run Grocery Store Reshaped Rural Community's Food Access
- Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans, and It's Not Just Due to Lack of Health Care
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
- Across the Country, Amish Populations Are on the Rise
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
FEMA Special Enrollment Period
There has been a change on the Healthcare.gov application, which allows consumers who lost coverage but missed their 60-day window to enroll in Marketplace coverage. This Special Enrollment Period (SEP) lasts until 60 days after the end of the disaster declaration. The default coverage effective date for the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) SEP is the first day of the month following plan selection but a consumer can contact the Marketplace call center to request a retroactive effective date; the earliest effective date is the first day of the month following the qualifying event for the original SEP and the FEMA disaster declaration. Click here to access the Emergency and Major Disaster Declaration SEP guidance.
Administration Seeks More Biometric Data on Immigrants
The Trump administration is considering drastically expanding the government’s collection of biometric information from immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed this week. The proposal would allow the government to demand more personal data, from more people, more often as part of the immigration application process. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services currently requires biometrics, or biological measurements, from anyone over the age of 14 who applies for certain immigration benefits. That information is limited to fingerprints, photographs and signatures, but would be expanded under the proposed policy change to include DNA, eye scans, voice prints and photographs for facial recognition.
Trump Administration Announced Nationwide Eviction Moratorium
Relying on a public health law intended to prevent the spread of an illness, the Trump administration said it is extending a national moratorium on residential evictions. The moratorium, announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was the latest measure by the administration to get a handle on the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic absent an agreement with Congress on a more far reaching package that would have the force of law. The moratorium, which will extend through Dec. 31, applies to individuals making $99,000 or less a year and who are unable to make rent or housing payments.
Pennsylvania Governor Calls for Paid Sick and Family Leave for Workers
As Pennsylvanians continue to fight the health risks of COVID-19, Gov. Tom Wolf called on the General Assembly to pass legislation for paid sick and family leave for workers who need to miss work for an illness or to take care of a loved one. According to the governor’s office, enacting a paid sick leave law would help an estimated 400,000 Pennsylvanians, particularly low-wage workers who are forced to work when ill, risking their health and that of the employees and customers around them. Providing paid sick leave would improve public health and help to prevent more people from getting sick.
COVID-19 Back-to-School Resources for Mental Health
The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center has a series of webinars and other resources useful for helping students and staff cope with changes in schooling. Find more information here.
Final rule: Medicare FY2021 Hospital Payment and Policy Updates
Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Final Rule. It includes increases in payment rates for hospitals, new requirements for hospitals to report payer-specific negotiated charges, and policy changes when a graduate medical teaching hospital or residency program closes. CMS is also adopting the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations, which results in 34 urban counties becoming rural, 47 rural counties becoming urban, and several urban counties shifting between existing and new urban statistical areas. These shifts may impact the payment rates for hospitals located in those areas. Read more here.
Rural Crosswalk for COVID Waivers and Flexibilities
Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a summary of all current COVID-19-related waivers and flexibilities that affect Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Critical Access Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and rural hospitals generally. It also describes the significance of each provision for these rural providers and facilities. Read more here.
New Guidance on Provider Relief Funds and Hospital Cost Reports
On August 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated their COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Billing to include guidance on how hospitals should treat CARES Act Provider Relief Funds (PRF) in upcoming cost reports. Beginning in April, funds were distributed to providers, including targeted disbursements to rural providers, to support COVID-19 relief efforts. The new guidance on pages 99-101 of the FAQs informs hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, and other providers on how to report the PRF payments on the Medicare Cost Report and whether those payments should offset expenses. Read more here.
Comments Requested: CMS Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to COVID-19 – November 1
On September 2, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period that includes new requirements in the hospital and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for daily reporting of COVID-19 data. These regulations are effective on September 2, 2020 and are applicable for the duration of the Public Health Emergency for COVID–19. While many hospitals are voluntarily reporting this information now, not all are. Hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals, will face possible termination of Medicare and Medicaid payment if unable to correct reporting deficiencies. The rule also includes updates to Extraordinary Circumstances Exceptions (ECE) for several quality reporting programs and a revised policy on repeated COVID-19 testing. Read more here.
HRSA Request for Information: Maternity Health Professional Target Areas – September 18
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeks public input to develop criteria for identifying Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas. These are areas within Health Professional Shortage Areas that have a shortage of maternity care health professionals. Email responses to RFIComments@hrsa.gov and reference “Maternity Care Health Professional Target Area Criteria RFI” in the subject line. Read more here.