News

Improving rural health is an AHA priority because we truly cannot advance health in America without keeping our rural communities strong.

The House of Representatives last night voted 419-6 to pass legislation (H.R. 748) that would repeal the 40% excise tax on high-value employer-sponsored health plans set to begin in 2022.

The ERISA Industry Committee has withdrawn its support for legislation approved yesterday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to address surprise medical bills after an amendment was approved to add an arbitration process for certain payment disputes between providers and health plans.

The Trump administration and congressional leaders are close to an agreement on overall spending levels in a two-year deal to raise the budget caps, as well as a two-year debt limit increase.

The Health Resources and Services Administration today awarded 27 organizations up to $750,000 each to develop new rural residency programs while achieving accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released its Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Scorecard, intended to reflect each state’s progress in increasing the reporting of beneficiary health outcomes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with the U.S. Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to preposition staff in Goma to rapidly identify Ebola cases and prevent further spread of the disease in hotspots where the security situation permits.

Drug overdose deaths declined 5.1% in 2018 to about 68,000, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The AHA’s American Society for Health Care Engineering presented its 2019 Crystal Eagle Leadership Award to York Chan, vice president of facilities integration for Advocate Aurora Health.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee today approved legislation to address surprise medical bills and Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts.

The Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service today expanded the list of preventive care benefits that high-deductible health plans can cover prior to a deductible for patients with chronic conditions.

The World Health Organization today declared the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern.

Congress should pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise medical bills; preserve the ability of providers and insurers to negotiate private contracts; and not establish a fixed payment amount for out-of-network services.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released a proposed rule that would revise certain requirements for long-term care facilities.

The House Ways and Means Committee today launched a health task force to better address the needs of residents in rural and underserved communities.

Under a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposal, Medicare would cover acupuncture as an alternative to opioid use for beneficiaries with chronic low back pain who are enrolled in a qualified study.

Updated guidance issued last year for states seeking a Section 1332 waiver of certain Affordable Care Act requirements qualifies as a rule under the Congressional Review Act of 1996.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last week added to the Physician Compare website certain 2017 (year one) Quality Payment Program performance data submitted under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Models.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday announced several actions to ensure hospitals and other health care facilities can continue operations and provide access to care in parts of Louisiana affected by Tropical Storm Barry.

The AHA and the Department of Homeland Security July 17 at 1 p.m. ET will host a webinar discussing current cybersecurity threats to the health care sector.