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While congressional Republicans hunt for hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare cuts, an old, bipartisan idea seems poised for a comeback: "site-neutral" Medicare reimbursements for outpatient care. This policy, which the hospital sector opposes and health insurers endorse, would require health systems to charge the same prices for services whether they are performed in a hospital or another location. (McAuliff, 3/18)

Nicole Stallings, President and CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, joined the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast to shed light on the challenges ahead — chief among them, the battle to protect Medicaid. With 3.2 million Pennsylvanians relying on the program, potential funding cuts could send shockwaves through hospitals, communities and the state’s economy. In this conversation, Ms. Stallings unpacks the policy noise, outlines the stakes for hospital leaders, and shares how advocacy can shape the future of healthcare access. (Condon, 3/18)

Democrats rallied outside the state Capitol in Hartford on Tuesday in a coordinated national  “day of action” aimed at heading off what they say are inevitable cuts to Medicaid as the Trump administration and Republicans move to extend provisions of the 2017 tax cut law. (Pazniokas, 3/18)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Tribal Health Leaders Say Medicaid Cuts Would Decimate Health Programs

As Congress mulls potentially massive cuts to federal Medicaid funding, health centers that serve Native American communities, such as the Oneida Community Health Center near Green Bay, Wisconsin, are bracing for catastrophe. That’s because more than 40% of the about 15,000 patients the center serves are enrolled in Medicaid. Cuts to the program would be detrimental to those patients and the facility, said Debra Danforth, the director of the Oneida Comprehensive Health Division and a citizen of the Oneida Nation. (Orozco Rodriguez, 3/19)

Susan Brackney, of Columbus, said she’s an author and freelancer who is on the Healthy Indiana Plan, the state’s Medicaid program. She said she receives care for rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic autoimmune disease, and other ailments. As a self-employed writer, Brackney said her income fluctuates greatly, which has resulted in a lot of conversations with Family and Social Services Administration employees and paperwork to prove her income to remain on the program. (Kukulka, 3/18)

Patina Health rolled out a new program Tuesday that will provide expanded home-based care to Medicare Advantage members. The Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania-based company said Patina Total Health will provide health assessments, medication management, primary care, urgent care and behavioral health services to older adults in their homes through in-person and telehealth visits. (Eastabrook, 3/18)

Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance companies have finally emerged as significant players in the Medicare Advantage market after years of struggling to make their mark. But financial pressures could drive them to depart the sector as quickly as they arrived. Rising medical expenses, unfavorable changes to federal policies and declining federal reimbursement dogged the Medicare Advantage industry in 2024, leading companies such as CVS Health’s Aetna and Humana to cut back where they sold policies. (Tepper, 3/18)