On August 3, 2020, President Trump signed the “Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access” (the Executive Order). The Executive Order directed the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review the temporary telehealth flexibilities authorized during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and to propose a regulation to [&hellip… Continue Reading »
The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has followed the guidance, jointly issued by the U.S. Departments of Labor and the Treasury, that extends benefits-related deadlines in the face of COVID-19 hardships affecting plans and plan participants. That guidance provides for relaxed enforcement of requirements for plans to [&hellip… Continue Reading »
On March 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a large number of temporary regulatory “blanket” waivers to provide “maximum flexibility” for the U.S. health care system’s response to COVID-19. This issuance was enabled by President Trump’s emergency declaration of March 13, 2020, which authorized CMS to issue Section 1135 waivers [&hellip… Continue Reading »
CMS Adult Elective Surgery and Procedures Recommendations: Limit All Non-Essential Planned Surgeries and Procedures, Including Dental, Until Further Notice On March 18, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued recommendations to limit all non-essential adult surgeries and dental procedures during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This guidance comes as health care [&hellip… Continue Reading »
