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Medicare administrators served doctors and hospitals a pair of big payment cuts late Thursday. Doctors will see a 3.4% decrease to a key factor determining their base Medicare pay next year, officials announced in a final rule. That’s virtually unchanged from what administrators proposed this summer. (Goldman, 11/3)

Physicians will be hit with a 1.25% reduction in Medicare reimbursements next year under a final rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. The American Medical Association and other doctor groups sharply criticized the proposed rule CMS published in July, which contained the same pay cut, and have taken their case to Congress that Medicare fees for physicians should not be reduced. (Bennett, 11/2)

Medicare officials are moving forward with a plan to claw back money from certain hospitals to try to remedy overpayments struck down by the Supreme Court, they announced Thursday. A federal court ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to compensate hospitals that receive discounted drugs through the 340B program for billions of dollars of underpayments, but the money had already gone out to hospitals that didn’t participate in the program. (Cohrs, 11/2)

Providers participating in the 340B drug discount program will receive approximately $9 billion to compensate them for reductions in previous years under a final rule the Health and Human Services Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published Thursday. ... About 1,700 hospitals are due to receive funds by Jan. 1. But because federal law requires this spending to be budget-neutral, CMS offset the cost by reducing reimbursements for other outpatient products and services by $7.8 billion. (Kacik and Bennett, 11/2)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Medicare Expands The Roster Of Available Mental Health Professionals 

Lynn Cooper was going through an awful time. After losing her job in 2019, she became deeply depressed. Then the covid-19 pandemic hit, and her anxiety went through the roof. Then her cherished therapist — a marriage and family counselor — told Cooper she couldn’t see her once Cooper turned 65 and joined Medicare. “I was stunned,” said Cooper, who lives in Pittsburgh and depends on counseling to maintain her psychological balance. “I’ve always had the best health insurance a person could have. Then I turned 65 and went on Medicare, and suddenly I had trouble getting mental health services.” (Graham, 11/3)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Biden Pick To Lead Social Security Pledges Action On ‘Heartbreaking’ Clawbacks

President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Social Security Administration on Thursday promised senators that he would address hardships the agency has caused by trying to recoup billions of dollars it mistakenly overpays beneficiaries each year. At his confirmation hearing on Thursday, Democratic former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said he would “absolutely prioritize” reducing overpayments and improving the appeals process for millions of people asked to repay money, often years later. (Hilzenrath and Fleischer, 11/3)