- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is helping incarcerated adults and children obtain access to Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage before they leave a prison, jail, or youth correctional facility. The agency’s action will give coverage to people before they are released, minimizing gaps in coverage and better supporting individuals with often overlooked medical issues as they reenter the outside world. It applies to residents in Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont. In total, HHS expects emergency department visits, inpatient hospitalizations and deaths will be prevented with more encompassing Medicaid coverage. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it is continuing to review application requests. Other states have already taken advantage of opportunities to support the incarcerated population. (Article here)
- The House Ways and Means Committee advanced bipartisan legislation on Thursday that would grant Medicare coverage to novel medical technologies for four years while CMS makes a national coverage determination. The new version of the bill that was voted on by Ways and Means reduces the cost of the bill by 75 percent of the version that the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted favorably on back in November. It allocates $10 million per year over five years to CMS for the project. The Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act of 2024, if passed, would give any device designated as “breakthrough” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) four years of Medicare coverage. A sponsor of the bill said during the hearing that it takes CMS an average of more than five years to make a national coverage determination for FDA breakthrough devices. (Article here)
- House Democrats are urging five major pharmacy chains—Walmart, Safeway, Kroger, Costco, and Health Mart—to commit to dispensing mifepristone in states where it remains legal, following a recent Supreme Court decision upholding its accessibility. In letters to these companies, more than 50 lawmakers expressed disappointment over their lack of progress in becoming certified to dispense mifepristone, despite FDA guidelines established in 2023. The Democrats emphasized the pharmacies’ responsibility to facilitate access to essential reproductive health care services, including medication abortion, urging them to align their policies with their stated support for health care equality and gender equity. They requested a response from the pharmacies by July 12, stressing the urgency amid ongoing challenges to reproductive rights. (Article here)
July 16, 2024
Access & Coverage | Tea Leaves