CMS Updates: Brooks-LaSure Hearings, AAP Repayment, MedPAC Recommendations

Hearings began in mid-April for Chiquita Brooks-Lasure, President Biden’s pick to head CMS, along with Andrea Palm, the administration’s nominee for the number two job at HHS. While the Senate Finance Committee’s hearing for Brooks-LaSure saw little controversy, contention around the administration’s decision to revoke a Texas Medicaid 1115 Waiver has delayed the process as Sen. John Coryn (R-Texas) placed a hold on her confirmation. She is likely to be confirmed eventually.
 
Repayment of COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments began on March 30, 2021. The “Better way for Providers to Repay Act (H.R. 2407) would provide a 3-month delay to recoup certain payments made under the CMS program.
 
And MedPAC approved a set of recommendations for its June report to Congress, including that CMS “implement a more harmonized portfolio of fewer alternative payment models that are designed to work together to support the strategic objectives of reducing spending and improving quality.”