August 3, 2026
[HCA, THC, CYH, ARDT, UHS, Muni-backed] FY27 Inpatient Hospital Better Than Proposed but Medicare Payment Growth Slows
The FY27 Medicare inpatient hospital (IPPS) final rule was modestly more favorable than the proposal for acute care hospitals [HCA, THC, CYH, ARDT, UHS, MPT, muni-backed systems], increasing CMS’s projected aggregate payment increase by $1B….
July 30, 2026
[CHE, ADUS, PNTG, EHC, UHS, ACHC]: Final FY27 Medicare Rules Overall In-Line, Longer-Term Pressure on Hospice and IRFs
Final FY27 Medicare reimbursement rules for hospices [CHE, ADUS, PNTG, BTSG, AVAH, Gentiva, Compassus, Elara], inpatient rehab facilities (IRFs) [EHC, Select Medical, Kindred], and inpatient psych facilities (IPFs) [UHS, ACHC], were largely in line with…
July 22, 2026
[CNC, MOH, HCA, THC, UHS]: Medicaid Work Requirement Litigation Thoughts
We think the July 28 federal court hearing on the 25 states and the District of Columbia’s request to preliminarily enjoin CMS’s interim final rule (IFR) for Medicaid community engagement (CE) requirements for the Medicaid…
June 15, 2026
[OSCR, CNC, ELV, HCA, THC, CYH, UHS]: ACA Court Win Offers Limited Relief as Obamacare Enrollment Headwinds Remain
Last week’s ACA-related court ruling permanently, which enjoined key portions of the CY25 Obamacare regulation, may initially reassure insurers [OSCR, CNC, ELV] and hospitals [HCA, THC, CYH, UHS, ARDT] about certain enrollment-related program integrity headwinds….
June 10, 2026
Hospitals, ASCs, Imaging Centers: Medicare Risk in Summer OPPS Proposal? [THC, HCA, CYH, ARDT, UHS, SGRY, UNH, RDNT]
While Medicaid and ACA enrollment concerns have dominated the policy overhang for hospitals this year, Medicare-related risks could move higher on investors’ radar with the release of CY27 hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) proposed…
May 21, 2026
CMS Proposal Pushes DPP Restrictions but Near-Term Impacts on Hospitals, Nursing Homes Still Limited Due to Grandfathering
CMS’s long-awaited proposed rule implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill’s (OBBB) restrictions on state directed payment programs (DPPs) pushes the envelope a bit further than the statute itself, particularly for hospitals [HCA, THC, CYH, UHS,…
May 18, 2026
Hospitals: Latest CMS Batch of Approved Hospital-Specific DPPs [HCA, CYH, THC]
Two long-anticipated hospital-specific Medicaid state directed payment programs (DPPs) in Florida and Indiana, benefitting HCA, CYH, and THC and other hospitals in those states, appear to have been approved by CMS in recent weeks, according…
May 1, 2026
Medicaid Work Requirements: Despite Certain Restrictive Actions, Overall State Flexibility Likely Limits Risk [CNC, MOH, HCA, THC, UHS]
A wave of state actions (AR, IA, ID, IN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH) on Medicaid community engagement requirements (aka work requirements), spanning both accelerated implementation like today’s launch in NE and in some cases,…
April 12, 2026
Inpatient Hospitals: Slight Medicare Growth for FY27, But Future Holds Mandatory Bundles and Less Automatic Bonuses for New Tech [HCA, THC, CYH, ENSG, PACS, PNTG]
FY27 Medicare reimbursement proposals for inpatient hospitals [HCA, THC, CYH, ARDT, UHS, MPT, muni-backed systems] largely met expectations for a smaller increase, versus FY26, with most changes appearing formulaic and math-based rather than policy-led. Despite…
April 5, 2026
SNFs, IRFs, IPFs: Proposed Increases in Range, But Future Risks Medicare Lurk for SNFs and IRFs [ENSG, PACS, SBRA, OHI, LTC, CTRE, EHC, SEM, UHS, ACHC]
FY27 Medicare reimbursement proposals for skilled nursing facilities [ENSG, PACS] and related REITs [SBRA, OHI, LTC, CTRE], inpatient rehab facilities (IRFs) [EHC, SEM, Kindred]and inpatient psych facilities (IPFs) [UHS, ACHC] were broadly in-line with our…