| Biden officials move to begin rescinding Medicaid work requirements The Biden administration on Friday moved to start the process of revoking Medicaid work requirements, one of the signature health care policies of the Trump administration that Democrats have long criticized as leading to coverage losses. The Biden administration sent letters to states that had previously been approved for work requirements informing them that the federal government is moving to revoke the waivers that had been granted allowing the policy. The letters from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) say the agency has "preliminarily" determined to revoke the policy and gives the states 30 days to provide information contesting the decision. The letters state that the Biden administration "has serious concerns about testing policies that create a risk of a substantial loss of health care coverage in the near term," and cite the coronavirus pandemic's impact on health. Flashback: The Trump administration allowed states to apply for, and then granted, waivers to impose work requirements in the Medicaid program for the first time, a major conservative twist on the health insurance program for the poor. Officials, led by Trump's Medicaid chief Seema Verma, argued the move helped lift people out of poverty. But it resulted in massive coverage losses. According to Democratic critics, that was precisely the point. Only one state, Arkansas, ever fully implemented the requirements. They were in effect for just a few months in 2018 before a judge blocked them, but 18,000 people still lost Medicaid coverage. What's next: The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments March 29 over whether work requirements are legal, but if they are withdrawn it could render the case moot. Read more here. Coronavirus hospitalizations hit lowest level in nearly three months More than 74,000 people remain in the hospital due to COVID-19 as of Thursday, the lowest level in nearly three months, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. The group recorded approximately 74,225 hospitalizations as of Thursday, making it the third straight day the number has remained below 80,000. The number of patients in intensive care units — 15,190 — is the lowest number recorded by the group since Nov. 17, 2020. The new data marks a promising development from January, which saw the greatest number of COVID-19 fatalities and the highest average number of coronavirus hospitalizations of any month since the pandemic first hit the U.S. But overall, numbers are still much much higher than the summer, and unacceptably high overall. Read more here. Case in point: Daily coronavirus cases tip back over 100,000 Daily new coronavirus cases tipped back over 100,000 on Thursday after having fallen below that threshold for the first time since the fall earlier in the week. The overall trend in recent weeks is still positive, as cases and hospitalizations have fallen from their January highs. But the 103,000 cases on Thursday, as tallied by the COVID Tracking Project, are a reminder that spread of the virus is still at extremely high levels, and more contagious variants threaten to start another surge upward. Cases are down 23 percent from last week and 57 percent from the peak in January. But the toll of the virus remains heavy, with about 3,000 people dying every day. Deaths are a lagging indicator, so the drop in cases will take longer to show up there. And the threat of more contagious variants, particularly one first identified in the United Kingdom, known as B.1.1.7, threatens to undo downward trends. Read more here. Meanwhile, states are lifting restrictions: Montana's governor repealed the mask mandate Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) lifted the state's mask mandate Friday, fulfilling a campaign pledge, after he said the state has made significant progress vaccinating the most vulnerable against COVID-19. Gianforte has been a vocal opponent to the mask mandate, which was signed into law by his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, in July. The governor made the announcement Wednesday, during a signing ceremony for legislation that would shield businesses, health care providers, houses of worship and nonprofit organizations from coronavirus-related lawsuits. Gianforte last month said the legislation was a priority and he would wait to remove the mask mandate until it was signed. His other threshold for removing the mandate was having a vaccine available to vulnerable populations. "We will continue to provide incentives to protect the health and safety and we will emphasize personal responsibility over mandates," Gianforte said Wednesday. "When it comes down to it, I trust Montanans, and together we can combat this public health and economic pandemic with personal responsibility and by looking out for one another." Read more here. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment