LTC Pharmacy News March 2023 Get Started with a Pharmacy Marketing Budget Like most small businesses, LTC pharmacies must spread resources between serving existing customers and finding new ones. The prospect of losing a major customer when you’re not investing in finding new ones should keep you up at night. More Subscribe to LTC Pharmacy News! If you received this issue of LTC Pharmacy News from a friend, be certain to get your own free subscription. Easy! Just click the button below and make certain you continue to get all the LTC Pharmacy News as soon as it's published. Subscribe Now!  Federal Updates Biden Administration Plan to Extend Medicare Solvency The Biden Administration announced that its budget plan includes a proposal to increase the Medicare tax on high-income earners and remove a loophole, while also lowering costs for Medicare beneficiaries. The proposal would extend the life of the Medicare trust fund to the mod-2050s from the current 2033. White House Fact Sheet President's Proposed Budget Health Items Each year around this time the president releases his wish list of programs he would like Congress to include in its annual spending plan. This proposed budget is almost never accepted, and certainly won't be this year since the House is now under GOP control, but the document does indicate what's important to the president. This year, the president's focus is on expanding Medicaid coverage, expanding drug price negotiation for Medicare and helping states fund home and community-based services. More States Set to Begin Medicaid Redeterminations You may recall that Congress passed funding legislation in December 2022 that included a provision allowing states to begin to cull their Medicaid rolls starting on April 1. CMS has released a list of when individual states are expected to begin eligibility redetermination. CMS HHS Proposed Budget: $566 Million for Nursing Home Oversight The Biden Administration plans to ramp up oversight of nursing homes by increasing Survey and Certification resources by 40 percent, or $566 million. The proposed HHS budget targets fraud and abuse, as well as the use of unnecessary meds within facilities Skilled Nursing News Public Health Emergency “Unwinding” We've all heard about the end of the Public Health Emergency and the resulting return to normal in the Medicaid space. The Administration for Community Living has a nice synopsis of the process and how it will unfold as states begin to evaluate Medicaid eligibility.  More DEA Proposed Rule on Prescribing Controlled Substances via Telehealth The Drug Enforcement Administration published a proposed rule that addresses the use of telehealth to prescribe controlled substances. The long-anticipated proposal would replace the more lenient practices authorized during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The proposal is more restrictive than many providers had hoped,. Comment deadline is March 31. Mondaq MedPAC Issues March Report The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its annual March report to Congress. This is the report in which MedPAC issues its recommendations to Congress on payment adequacy for provider groups in the Medicare program, as well as Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D. MedPAC Medicare Issues Drug Price Negotiation Guidance CMS has issued guidance on the process by which drug price negotiations will proceed under the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. The program will begin by selecting ten drugs to be candidates for price negotiation and, once the negotiations are complete, the negotiated price will be available beginning 2026. CMS Press Release Fact Sheet Guidance Everything Else Join ASCP for the Washington DC Fly-in Time to dust off your travel gear and make plans to join your colleagues in Washington and consultant pharmacists storm the Hill in support of pharmacist provider status. Showing up shows you care and the ASCP team is hard at work arranging visits with your member of Congress to advocate for the issues you care about.  Don't delay. Register today PBM Practices Under Assault in Congress Bipartisan support for reining in PBM practices such as spread pricing, where the PBM charges payers more than it reimburses pharmacies. The latest barrage comes in the form of a reintroduction of legislation, sponsored by Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Vicente Gonzales (D-TX). The Drug Transparency in Medicaid Act would outlaw the practice in Medicaid Managed Care plans. Fierce Healthcare State and Local Public Health Officials Leaving The journal Health Affairs published a study examining the intentions of state and local public health officials to leave the field. Based on this analysis, the paper suggests that more than 100,000 of these professionals could leave their jobs by 2025. This represents serious implications for the country's ability to manage the next public health emergency in the near future. Health Affairs Nursing Home Staffing Up in February Nursing homes added 5400 staff in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report. Overall, nursing facility staffing is up by more than 43 thousand over the same period last year. The industry still has a long way to go to regain its pre-pandemic staffing levels. Skilled Nursing News California's Own Insulin The nation's most populous state wants to become a manufacturer. California officials have signed a deal with Civica, the nonprofit drug manufacturer, owned by hospitals and other healthcare providers. The goal is to produce insulin that costs $30 per vial to manufacturer. California will make the product available to any Californian, regardless of insured status. Kaiser Health News Republicans Hold Edge in State Legislatures with Veto-Proof Majorities It's tough to be a governor when the state legislature has more than enough members of the opposite party to override any veto you decide to issue. Such is the case in 18 states with Republican supermajorities and in the 9 states with Democratic advantage.  Duane Morris Government Strategies LinkedIn Goes AI Could you use a little help in crafting the perfect LinkedIn profile? Have you been stuck on that blockbuster article you've been planning to post?  Well, LinkedIn invites you to take their artificial intelligence machinery for a spin. Based on OPENAI technology, the company that brought you CHAT GPT, LinkedIn is being promoted as helping us all advance our careers with the latest AI technology More Data Points What Does Your Congressional District Look Like? Did you ever wonder about the other folks who are represented by your member of Congress look like? Well, the Census Bureau has some handy information for each of the 435 Congressional districts. Topics covered include social makeup, demographics, economics and housing. How much do you have in common with the rest of your Congressional district?