centers for medicare and medicaid services
Medicare Advantage increasingly popular with seniors — but not hospitals and doctors
(This story was updated at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 30, 2023, to add information about Arkansas hospitals.) A hospital system in Georgia. Two medical groups in San Diego. Another in Louisville, Kentucky, and nearly one-third of Nebraska hospitals. Across the country, health care providers are refusing to accept some Medicare Advantage plans — even as the […]
Arkansas Democrats criticize DHS’ handling of post-pandemic Medicaid “unwinding”
Arkansas Democrats will focus on the state’s revocation of hundreds of thousands of Arkansans’ Medicaid coverage during the 2024 election cycle, party leaders said in a Tuesday press conference. The state Department of Human Services didn’t do enough to ensure people, especially children, were no longer eligible before revoking their health insurance, Grant Tennille, chairman […]
More than 184,500 Arkansans cut from Medicaid in six months during post-pandemic eligibility review
Arkansas has finished its review of the eligibility of Medicaid recipients whose coverage was extended during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state Department of Human Services announced Monday. More than 184,500 Arkansans who retained coverage during the extension were disenrolled between April 1 and Sept. 30 because they did not provide necessary eligibility information, according to […]
Requests unlikely for exemption from Arkansas’ new ban on COVID vaccine mandates
Arkansas last month banned state and local government entities from requiring coronavirus vaccination, becoming the 26th state with a mandate restriction. The measure is mostly symbolic, as the Biden administration revoked the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for employees of Medicare- or Medicaid-funded health care facilities in June. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, though, […]
AARP report: Long-term care for elderly and disabled in Arkansas needs improvement
A national report found room for improvement in the long-term care options available to the elderly and disabled in Arkansas, which ranked 37th out of 51 in comparison to all other states and the District of Columbia. AARP found that 43% of states, including Arkansas, showed little to no change in the past few years […]
More than 26,500 Arkansans lost Medicaid coverage for procedural reasons in August
More than 26,500 Arkansans who had their Medicaid coverage extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic were dropped from the program in August because they did not provide necessary eligibility information, according to Arkansas Department of Human Services data released Friday. DHS has one month left in its six-month project to redetermine the eligibility of Medicaid […]
Rural Arkansas hospitals weigh trading inpatient care for new federal funds
Northeast Arkansas on Friday became home to the state’s first federally designated “rural emergency hospital,” and now, small hospitals across the state must decide if they should reduce or give up inpatient care to follow suit. St. Bernards Five Rivers Medical Center in Pocahontas, part of the St. Bernards Healthcare system based in Jonesboro, is […]
Federal agency asks states to pause Medicaid unwinding; DHS says request does not apply to Arkansas
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a letter to all 50 states Wednesday, asking some to restore coverage for people who were recently disenrolled for procedural reasons. The request does not apply to Arkansas, Department of Human Services spokesman Gavin Lesnick said in an email. DHS conducts Medicaid eligibility reviews on […]
Randolph County medical center to become Arkansas’ first rural emergency hospital
A Northeast Arkansas hospital will be the first in the state to opt into a program that could bolster federal funding for rural hospitals as an incentive to specialize in emergency and outpatient care. St. Bernards Five Rivers Medical Center in Pocahontas, part of the St. Bernards Healthcare system based in Jonesboro, will become a […]
Arkansas Medicaid recipients share concerns with federal and state officials
A group of Arkansans on Tuesday petitioned state and federal officials to intervene in the state’s administration of Medicaid, which they have repeatedly said needs improvement. Arkansas Community Organizations held the latest of several protests this year airing Medicaid recipients’ complaints, including difficulties ensuring that the state Department of Human Services has accurately recorded or […]
Fulton County Hospital faces $63,900 fine for lack of price transparency
Fulton County Hospital in northern Arkansas was fined $63,900 in July for failing to follow federal price transparency rules, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Friday. Hospitals that serve Medicare and Medicaid patients are required to publish “a consumer-friendly list of standard charges for a limited set of shoppable services” and “a […]
Nearly 35K more Arkansans lose Medicaid coverage due to incomplete paperwork
Nearly 35,000 Arkansans were dropped from the state’s Medicaid program in May because they did not provide required information to determine if they remained eligible for coverage, the Arkansas Department of Human Services announced Thursday. May was the second month of disenrollments as DHS reviews the eligibility of about 420,000 Medicaid enrollees who had their […]