HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra told senators Wednesday (June 9) the $24 billion in remaining provider relief will not be subject to the June 30 spending deadline when it’s distributed, but previous relief does have a deadline. While he’s committed to accountability for those funds, Becerra again promised flexibility for relief recipients. A day earlier, Becerra […]

The Labor Department will limit long-awaited emergency Covid-19 workplace safety rules to the health care sector, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said Wednesday, a decision that disappointed unions pushing for more expansive rules but that will likely be a relief to businesses worried about new costs. The rules, which have been under White House review since […]

CMS on Wednesday (June 9) increased pay for at-home COVID-19 vaccination of Medicare beneficiaries from $40 to $75 per dose, meaning providers will receive about $70 more between the two vaccine doses. The agency said there are 1.6 million Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older who might have trouble accessing the vaccine because they have […]

The Biden administration will soon release guidance on what health-care providers can do with unspent stimulus funds, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told lawmakers. HHS this month will outline how health-care providers can “apply for and make use, good use, of their monies,” Becerra said Tuesday. He declined to say whether the department […]

The COVID-19 public health emergency is expected to continue through the end of 2021, Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran wrote in a Jan. 22 letter to governors, signaling the temporary 6.2% bump in federal Medicaid matching funds and a slew of other Medicare and Medicaid emergency waivers put in place during the pandemic will not […]

The leader of the U.S. Senate, Republican Mitch McConnell, has warned that a forthcoming wave of litigation over Covid-19 will amount to a “second pandemic.” That’s the basis for a continuing effort in Congress to shield companies from lawsuits filed by workers and consumers who get sick. Though a liability shield ended up being dropped from the economic stimulus […]