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LeadingAge Win: Appendix PP Delayed
On February 26, LeadingAge sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting a delay in the effective date of the revisions to State Operations Manual, Appendix PP Guidance to Surveyors for Long-Term Care Facilities. In their letter, LeadingAge cited the external communications pause on federal health agencies as creating a significant barrier to proper implementation of the guidance.
On March 7, CMS revised QSO-25-14-NH announcing a delay in the effective date to April 28, 2025. LeadingAge will continue advocacy to resume communications and allow CMS to provide the clarification nursing homes need prior to implementation of this guidance.
Reconciliation Instructions Would Force Medicaid Cuts
A new communication from the Congressional Budget Office makes clear that any instructions to the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut hundreds of billions of mandatory spending would mean dire cuts to Medicaid. The CBO communication, responding to questions from House Budget Committee Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), outlines projections of mandatory spending for the 2025–2034 period for programs, excluding Medicare, under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
If the House and Senate can agree to an identical budget resolution it may contain budget reconciliation instructions, as the House-passed budget resolution did on February 25, to the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut at least $880 billion from federal spending over 2025 – 2034. Excluding Medicare, which Congress and the White House have said is off the table for cuts through reconciliation, the CBO report says that Medicaid spending 2025 – 2034 is projected to total $8.2 trillion, or 93% of federal mandatory spending under the Committee’s jurisdiction.
The CBO communication helps make the point made relentlessly by those seeking to protect Medicaid from major cuts, including LeadingAge: Medicaid cannot go unscathed if budget reconciliation instructions require the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from programs under its jurisdiction. Read the CBO communication here. Keep up with the latest news on budget reconciliation here.
LeadingAge Comments on HHS Proposed Modifications to HIPAA Security Rule
On March 7, LeadingAge submitted comments expressing concern about the breadth and depth of a proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to update the existing HIPAA security rule. While LeadingAge fully supports the goal of robust security for electronic protected health information (ePHI), the complexity of the proposed standards and the brevity of the proposed implementation timeline raise serious feasibility questions.
LeadingAge’s letter argued against a one-size-fits-all approach to ePHI security regulations, urged OCR to revise its estimates of the proposal’s financial impact, and called for a much longer implementation timeline, if the rule is finalized. LeadingAge also joined in a letter submitted by the LTPAC Health IT Collaborative, which made similar arguments about problems with the proposed rule. LeadingAge is a core member of this Collaborative, which advocates for the development of meaningful, effective, and accessible health information and technology policies, strategies, standards, resources, products and services. This article provides a summary of the issues and links to LeadingAge’s and the Collaborative’s comment letters.
Upcoming Senate Hearing to Confirm Dr. Mehmet Oz as CMS Administrator
Dr. Mehmet Oz will testify before the Senate Finance Committee on March 14, at 9:00 AM CT at his confirmation hearing to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Dr. Oz is a former thoracic surgeon who is well known for hosting a daytime television show. However, some Senators are concerned that he has little experience running an agency like CMS, which oversees programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and elements of the Affordable Care Act that collectively provide health coverage for approximately 160 million Americans. Dr. Oz is likely to face questions about how he would oversee the Medicare Advantage program, which has garnered concerns around high rates of care denials and deceptive marketing practices. Click here for more information or to watch the hearing live.
Weekly Recaps: March 12, 2025
Affordable Housing Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Affordable Housing Weekly Recap.
Home Health Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Home Health Weekly Recap.
Hospice Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Hospice Weekly Recap.
Life Plan Community Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Life Plan Community Recap.
Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap.
Nursing Home Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Nursing Home Weekly Recap.
