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On Feb. 26, CHA sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly on surge preparations, seeking to continue to partner, assess lessons learned, and resolve unfinished business that must be addressed in the event of another surge.
Specifically, the letter makes five recommendations:
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On March 24 from 11 a.m. to noon (PT), CHA will host a members-only webinar explaining the No Surprises Act, which prohibits patients from getting surprise bills in certain out-of-network situations.
Chad Mulvany, CHA vice president, federal policy, will lead the discussion on the act, which was signed into law last year as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and addresses surprise medical billing for federally regulated plans and in states without surprise billing laws.
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As previously announced, the state of California has contracted with Blue Shield of California to create a statewide network of COVID-19 vaccine providers.
A hospital, clinic, pharmacy, or other entity that wishes to administer COVID-19 vaccines after March 31 must sign an agreement with Blue Shield. The contract, which Blue Shield states is now final, requires vaccine providers to:
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“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” – Oscar Wilde
As COVID-19’s winter surge continues to wane, as the supply of vaccinations begins to grow, and as the warmer months of spring and summer approach, state and federal leaders are under increased pressure to return to “normal” — whatever that might look like — in all facets of life: schools, businesses, restaurants, entertainment, and more.
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On March 2, the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a virtual hearing on The Future of Telehealth: How COVID-19 is Changing the Delivery of Virtual Care. The subcommittee is chaired by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (CA-18) with Reps. Matsui (CA-6), Cardenas (CA-29), Ruiz (CA-36) and Barragan (CA-44) among its members.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has developed a web-based training program for the standardized patient assessment data elements related to falls.
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On Feb. 27, the House of Representatives passed a modified version of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319), a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that focuses on vaccines, testing, and public health, while also providing assistance to individuals and families, among other provisions. The Senate will consider the bill this week and is expected to further modify the legislation.
Key health care provisions include:
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On March 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PT), the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) will hold the first meeting of its Hospital Diversity Commission, which is comprised of representatives from health care, procurement, and other stakeholders.
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On Feb. 26, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury updated guidance related to COVID-19 testing. The clarifications should improve access to no-cost-sharing COVID-19 testing for both the insured and uninsured. However, it stops short of requiring health plan coverage of COVID-19 testing for public health surveillance.
The updated guidance clarifies that under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act health plans:
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Feb. 26 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, after increasing for 13 years, the U.S. suicide rate dropped overall by 2% between 2018 and 2019. But the report cautioned those figures do not account for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.