Policy Updates

St. Louis-based Ascension has dropped coverage for weight loss drugs such as Wegovy from its employee health plan.

As insurance premiums continue to rise nationwide, lawsuits from large, self-insured employers are being filed against health insurers in an effort to access complete medical claims data and fulfill fiduciary duties under federal law.

A new bill filed in the Senate July 20 aims to lift the ban on Medicare coverage of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.

CMS has approved proposals from California and Kentucky for community-based mobile intervention teams to provide behavioral crisis services to Medicaid enrollees. 

CMS is proposing broader coverage of PET scans for patients with Alzheimer's disease, which can help determine if patients are eligible for newly-approved drugs to treat the disease. 

From requiring hospitals to post the cost of services in more consumer-friendly formats to proposing complete coverage of HIV prevention drugs for Medicare enrollees, these are eight CMS updates Becker's has reported since June 22:

CMS is proposing new coverage guidelines for HIV prevention drugs in Medicare, requiring the program to cover the drugs without cost sharing for beneficiaries. 

Medicaid coverage in Oregon is available to all adults and children who meet eligibility criteria — regardless of immigration status — as of July 1.  

Medicare will provide broader coverage of Leqembi, a drug that has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, now that the drug has received full FDA approval. 

President Joe Biden announced a series of actions aimed at addressing surprise medical billing, unfair medical debt and "junk" short-term insurance plans.