Center for Medicare Advocacy

Advancing Access to Medicare and Healthcare

Weekly Alert

Nursing Home Trade Group Asks for New Waiver of Nurse Aide Training Requirements

In an August 9, 2022 letter, the American Health Care Association asked HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to reinstate the 1135 waiver on nursing aide training requirements for nursing homes that expired more than two months ago.[1] The Center for … [Read more...] about Nursing Home Trade Group Asks for New Waiver of Nurse Aide Training Requirements

Additional New Medicare Coverage News – Hearing Aids and Oral Health

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), just signed into law (as discussed in this CMA Alert will provide important new prescription drug savings for beneficiaries. In addition, the Administration has taken other steps to fill some other coverage … [Read more...] about Additional New Medicare Coverage News – Hearing Aids and Oral Health

President Biden Signs Inflation Reduction Act into Law – Includes Critical Medicare Prescription Drug Provisions

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, which includes expansive health and climate provisions.  This bill is the culmination of over a year of debate about a wide range of … [Read more...] about President Biden Signs Inflation Reduction Act into Law – Includes Critical Medicare Prescription Drug Provisions

CMS’s Home Health Care Proposed Rule Would Allow Medicare-Covered Services to Become Less Accessible for More Patients

The Center for Medicare Advocacy (the Center) has submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to CMS’s Calendar Year 2023 Home Health Care Proposed Rule.The Center’s comments focused on:Continuing … [Read more...] about CMS’s Home Health Care Proposed Rule Would Allow Medicare-Covered Services to Become Less Accessible for More Patients

Senate Poised to Vote on Important Bill with Valuable Medicare Drug Provisions

The Senate is nearing a vote on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, a scaled back, but still transformational, reconciliation package that includes critical Medicare prescription drug and Affordable Care Act (ACA) improvements.Among other … [Read more...] about Senate Poised to Vote on Important Bill with Valuable Medicare Drug Provisions

Proposed Civil Rights Rule Marks Important Step in Restoring Health Care Protections

This week the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule that seeks to restore critical nondiscrimination protections the previous administration rolled back.Section 1557 of the … [Read more...] about Proposed Civil Rights Rule Marks Important Step in Restoring Health Care Protections

Nurse Staffing Study Confirms Nursing Home Resident Deaths Increased When Nurse Staffing Levels Declined During Pandemic

An analysis of “severe outbreaks” of COVID-19 in nursing homes between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2021 finds that “the contemporaneous increase in staffing shortages and resident non-COVID-19-related deaths is consistent with worsened resident … [Read more...] about Nurse Staffing Study Confirms Nursing Home Resident Deaths Increased When Nurse Staffing Levels Declined During Pandemic

CMS Announces Changes to Staffing Measure in Five-Star Rating System; Staffing Ratings Decline for One-Third of Nursing Facilities

Effective July 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes weekend staffing rates for nurses and information on annual turnover of nurses and administrators as it calculates the staffing measure for the federal website … [Read more...] about CMS Announces Changes to Staffing Measure in Five-Star Rating System; Staffing Ratings Decline for One-Third of Nursing Facilities

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