Medicaid Spells Out Hospital Limits on Pay for Treating Poor

The Biden administration issued a final rule Tuesday that clarifies how hospitals will be reimbursed for uncompensated care.

The final rule (RIN: 0938-AV00), which will be published in the Federal Register on Feb. 23, spells out how the hospital-specific payment limits will be calculated and clarifies ambiguities within the Disproportionate Share Hospital Program to increase administrative efficiency.

The regulation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services comes after Congress passed provisions targeting DSH payments in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Public Law No. 116-260).

Federal law requires that state Medicaid programs make payments to ...