Latest news with #HealthcarePolicy
CBC
05-08-2025
- Health
- CBC
SHA introduces policy to protect Indigenous hair traditions
Social Sharing The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has introduced a new policy aimed at protecting the cultural and spiritual significance of hair for Indigenous patients in health-care settings. In a newsletter sent to staff last Friday and obtained by CBC News, the SHA announced the Indigenous Hair Cutting Policy went into effect Aug. 1. It requires health-care workers to get informed consent before cutting a patient's hair, and ensure the respectful handling and return of hair when cutting is necessary. The new policy also clarifies that cutting hair is not a necessary treatment for lice and should only occur for medically urgent reasons, such as head injuries or surgeries. "Hair is a symbol of Indigenous personhood and guides the quality of relationships and connection to self and community developed throughout an individual's life," the newsletter said. Consent, cultural safety at the forefront Under the new policy, SHA staff must have conversations with patients and their families about the spiritual importance of hair before any cutting takes place. The policy applies to both non-emergency and emergency situations, ensuring that cultural and spiritual considerations are respected in every scenario. "This policy reaffirms our commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action," said Jennifer Ahenakew, the SHA's vice-president of First Nations and Métis Health, in a memo to staff. "It supports our work to advance a culturally responsive health-care environment that acknowledges and respects the spiritual and cultural significance of hair to many Indigenous peoples." Bonnie Marwood, a former patient advocate for Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, said while the policy is a positive step, it also raises questions about why it took so long to formalize. "I'm really pleased to see that that's happened and that they've gone to the effort to adhere to some of those calls to action. But then my next thought was, 'Why so long?'" she said. Marwood recalled last fall's case of Ruben St. Charles, a patient at Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital. St. Charles "had a broken hip. It had nothing to do with his hair — and they still felt it was necessary to cut it," she said. "We've never been told what happened to his hair." In response to the incident, the SHA told CBC News at the time that it "extends its deepest apologies for this individual's experience," adding that it remains committed to learning from the experience. Consequences for not following policy Ahenakew emphasized in the memo that the policy is "grounded in shared responsibility" and that "all SHA team members have a role in fostering inclusive, respectful and culturally responsive health care." SHA staff are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the policy as there will be consequences for those who don't follow it. Depending on the situation, the policy says it could lead to discipline under union agreements, contracts, or even termination of employment and staff privileges. Marwood also pointed out, while the policy focuses on Indigenous cultural practices, the respectful treatment of hair matters to many people. "It's also important to, let's say, our Sikh relatives," she noted. "[The SHA] made it Indigenous-slanted, but it's important to all citizens." While she believes the policy is a step in the right direction, Marwood said she's cautiously optimistic. "I think this is a part of SHA showing respect for their patients and I really hope that they take it and run with it," she said.
Forbes
21-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Interims Named Sole Finalists To Head Up U. Of Texas System, UT-Austin
Two interim leaders have been named as sole finalists to lead the University of Texas System and the ... More University of Texas at Austin. The University of Texas System Board of Regents has named John M. Zerwas as the sole finalist for the chancellorship of the University of Texas System and James E. Davis as the sole finalist for the presidency of the University of Texas at Austin. Zerwas and Davis currently are serving in those two roles as interim leaders. Each man received unanimous support to be the sole finalists for their respective positions by the regents at a meeting on Monday. Zerwas, a physician by training, had been the UT System's Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, joining the university in that capacity in October 2019. In that position, he oversaw the five UT System health institutions. He was named the UT System's chancellor ad interim, following the departure of J.B. Milliken in May to become president of the University of California. Prior to joining the UT System, Zervas served seven legislative terms in the Texas House of Representatives, including eleven years on the House Appropriations Committee, (three as Chairman) and six as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. He was also a prior Chair of the House Committee on Higher Education in Texas. In a news release, UT Board of Regents' Chairman Kevin P. Eltife praised Zerwas for 'an impeccable record in higher education, healthcare, and policy.' "The regents and all UT presidents respect Dr. Zerwas and trust his sound judgment and thoughtful leadership,' added Eltife. The board will consider final action to approve Zerwas as chancellor at its mid-August Board of Regents meeting in Austin, after the state's mandated 21-day period for finalists elapses. Zerwas said he was 'humbled and honored to be considered as chancellor of the UT System, and I am profoundly grateful to Chairman Eltife and each regent for conveying their trust in me,' adding that he was eager to work "in this new capacity to maximize UT's fullest potential in education, discovery, and healthcare.' Jim Davis has been serving as the Interim President of The University of Texas at Austin, replacing former president Jay Hartzell, who announced in January that he was leaving the university to become the president of Southern Methodist University. Prior to being named interim president, Davis was UT Austin's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Legal Affairs and Business Strategies. After completing his BA in history from UT Austin, Davis, whose father was a professor at the university, earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Texas. He practiced law as a partner in the Austin office of Locke Lord and later served as a Texas Deputy Attorney General, under Texas AG Ken Paxton. Eltife praised Davis's leadership, noting that the regents had worked directly with him 'over the past seven years on some of the largest and most transformational and complex initiatives ever undertaken by UT Austin. His understanding of almost every facet of UT Austin's opportunities and challenges is remarkable, and his versatility in being able to navigate them, all the way from conception to successful execution, has served UT very well.' The board's final action to approve Davis is also subject to the 21-day waiting period. According to the regents' announcement, Eltife will appoint a committee composed of faculty, staff, student, alumni and community representatives, along with two UT presidents. That committee will then offer the regents advice and an evaluation on Davis, consistent with a review that would usually be provided by a presidential search advisory committee. Texas higher education has seen its share of political intrigue and shake-ups in university leadership recently. Earlier this year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 37 into law. That statute, strongly supported by conservative legislators in the state, significantly strengthens the power of university governing boards and central administrators in a number of areas, including the hiring of university personnel. Although that law does not go into effect until September 1, it appears the regents are honoring its spirit already, bypassing the traditional search process and turning to men well-known in Texas Republican circles for two of the state's most powerful higher education jobs.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hospital, health system M&A falls in Q2 as Medicaid cuts loom: report
This story was originally published on Healthcare Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Healthcare Dive newsletter. Mergers and acquisitions between hospitals and health systems were down in the second quarter compared to recent years, as impacts from new healthcare policy and trade uncertainty came into focus, according to a report by Kaufman Hall. Eight transactions were announced in the second quarter, the lowest in the quarter since at least 2017, according to the healthcare consultancy. About half of the transactions were divestitures. Hospital and health system M&A is expected to accelerate, although it 'may return at a slower pace than it fell' as the sector absorbs the impacts from federal policy changes, including cuts to Medicaid, the report said. No mega-mergers, or transactions in which the annual revenue of the smaller party exceeds $1 billion, were announced in the second quarter. That pushed the average seller size down to $175 million, 'relatively low' compared to recent year-end averages, according to Kaufman Hall. Other metrics were low, including total transacted revenue in the quarter, which hit $1.4 billion. The metric is the lowest second-quarter result since at least 2017. The next lowest quarter was 2018, which logged $3 billion in transacted revenue across deals. Hospital and health system transactions announced in Q2, 2017-2025 This embedded content is not available in your region. Still, the number of deals in the second quarter was a modest uptick from the five deals announced in the first quarter, according to Kaufman Hall. Deal numbers were probably low in the first quarter as market volatility and economic uncertainty from the Trump administration's new tariffs had a chilling effect on M&A, according to Kaufman Hall. The potential of significant cuts to Medicaid also likely dampened deals. Those cuts were realized after President Donald Trump signed a reconciliation bill in early July with over $1 trillion cuts in healthcare spending over the next decade. Most of those cuts will be concentrated in Medicaid, with providers bracing for hits to their revenue as the uninsurance rate rises. That chilling effect has consequently bled through into the first half of the year, according to the consultancy. 'Business challenges and uncertainty about federal and state policies have affected both the divestitures and affiliations we're seeing in the market,' said Anu Singh, managing director at Kaufman Hall. 'Now that some of the policy uncertainty has resolved, we expect providers will refocus their strategy and transformation efforts, which could spark greater activity in future quarters.' Recommended Reading Historic Medicaid cuts to come as Trump signs domestic policy bill Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
01-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Comparing the Medicaid cuts in House and Senate "big, beautiful bill"
Washington — Republicans plan to slash Medicaid funding to help offset the tax cuts and new spending included in President Trump's massive domestic policy bill. There are some differences between the approaches taken by Senate and House Republicans, making Medicaid among the most divisive issues lawmakers have had to navigate in recent months. Staring down a self-imposed July 4 deadline to get the "big, beautiful bill" to Mr. Trump's desk, Republican lawmakers have yet to settle their differences. The Senate version, which is still under construction in the hours before final passage, is expected to face some resistance in the House, which passed a separate version in May. No Democrats are expected to support the bill. Medicaid cuts About 71 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the government's most recent data. According to a Congressional Budget Office report published late Saturday, the changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in the Senate version would result in an increase of nearly 12 million more uninsured people by 2034. The House-passed version would leave slightly fewer without health insurance — nearly 11 million — by 2034, mostly due to cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the CBO estimated earlier in June. The Senate version makes $930 billion in cuts over a decade to Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, according to the CBO. The House-passed bill includes nearly $800 billion in cuts. Work requirements Both versions include new work requirements for the popular entitlement program that provides government-sponsored health care for low-income Americans and people with disabilities. They require adults to work, volunteer or study 80 hours a month to qualify for enrollment, unless they have an exception. The House-passed bill includes work requirements that would apply to childless Medicaid recipients without disabilities between the ages of 19 and 64, beginning no later than 2026. There are exemptions for caregivers for dependent children or for pregnant women, among others. The Senate version expands the House bill by requiring parents of children over the age of 14 to work. Reporting requirements Both the Senate and the House would require Medicaid recipients to prove their eligibility twice a year, instead of annually. Home equity and Medicaid Under both chambers, applicants wouldn't qualify for Medicaid if their home equity is valued at more than $1 million, regardless of inflation. Under current law, state-determined maximum limits on home equity are between $730,000 and $1,097,000 and are indexed to inflation. Preventing Medicaid payments to dead people The Senate approved an amendment to move up Medicaid eligibility verification requirements, a measure aimed at preventing payments for people who are deceased. This was originally supposed to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2028, and Republican Sen. John Kennedy's amendment moved it to Jan. 1, 2027. Provider taxes States can boost federal Medicaid contributions to their states through what's known as a provider tax, often levying taxes on health care providers, which raises the overall cost of a service and therefore increases the portion reimbursed by the state. The House measure aims to lower federal costs by freezing states' provider taxes at current rates and prohibiting them from establishing new provider taxes. But their Senate counterparts want to incrementally lower provider taxes from 6% to 3.5% by 2032 in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Forty states have adopted the Medicaid expansion, and under that provision, the federal government pays 90% of the costs for expansion enrollees while the states are responsible for 10%. The federal government's portion for those covered through traditional Medicaid can range from 50% to 83%. Senate Republicans also added a $25 billion fund to help rural hospitals after some GOP senators expressed concern about how they could be affected by the change to provider taxes. Gender transition care The House bill prohibits federal Medicaid funding from covering gender transition services for children and adults, including surgeries, hormone therapy and puberty blockers. The Senate version included a similar provision, but the parliamentarian determined that it did not comply with the chamber's rules guiding the reconciliation process, meaning it either needed to be removed or modified to be included. Planned Parenthood funding Conservatives have long tried to stop Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds. The Hyde Amendment bans the use of any federal funds for abortion, but Planned Parenthood receives Medicaid money for other services. Both versions seek to strip Planned Parenthood from receiving any Medicaid payments. The Senate version stops the payments for one year, while the House version ends them for 10 years. Limits on retroactive coverage Currently, states must cover Medicaid benefits retroactively for three months before an eligible individual signs up for coverage. The Senate and House bills would reduce that to one month. Co-payments for services For those whose incomes are over 100% of the federal poverty level, which in 2025 is $15,650 for an individual and $32,150 for a family of four, states would be required to impose co-payments of up to $35 for medical services, with some exclusions, including for primary care. Both the Senate and House bills contain this provision, but the Senate version would make exceptions for certain types of health care providers.
CNN
28-06-2025
- Health
- CNN
Republican plans to overhaul Medicaid are already shaking up the 2026 midterms
Senate Republicans have yet to finalize their version of President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic policy proposal, but GOP lawmakers up for reelection in 2026 are bracing for the political impact of the bill's Medicaid cuts. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is pushing for a provider relief fund. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has warned GOP leaders about how many in his state could lose care. And Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has picked up a crop of Democratic challengers campaigning off her 'Well, we all are going to die' response to a town hall protester. Tens of thousands of people could lose coverage in each of those three senators' states, according to a KFF analysis on the version of the bill passed by the Republican-led House last month. Beleaguered Democrats, meanwhile, hope that laser-focusing on health care will help them chip away at the Republicans' 53-seat Senate majority and take back the House. A key part of Democratic messaging has been to tie the Medicaid cuts, which would largely affect low-income Americans, to tax breaks for the wealthy. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the changes would reduce federal Medicaid spending by roughly $800 billion over 10 years, largely by instituting work requirements for certain adults eligible for Medicaid and postponing a Biden administration rule intended to simplify enrolling and renewing coverage. 'It is crazy politics for them to do this,' said Brad Woodhouse, a longtime Democratic operative and executive director of Protect Our Care, a health care advocacy group that launched a $10 million campaign this year to oppose Medicaid cuts. 'Everyone is going to be unhappy with this bill, unless you're a very high net worth individual: a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, a billionaire, or a large corporation.' Many Republicans have argued that the cuts to Medicaid are meant to sustain the program for those who need it most. They're also betting that the rest of the bill will be more popular. Paul Shumaker, a longtime North Carolina GOP strategist who advises Tillis and other Republican leaders in the state, said he was 'bullish' on the midterm elections because he believes voters will support Republican arguments about rooting waste, fraud and abuse out of Medicaid. He also thinks voters will back other policies in the legislative package like cutting taxes on tips and overtime pay and raising the child tax credit. 'Democrats are basically staking themselves out on issues that resonate with one-third of the voters, whereas Republicans have staked themselves out on issues that resonate with two-thirds of the voters,' Shumaker said. 'They have put themselves into a box.' Democrats are betting that a narrow focus on the bill's health care provisions will have the most impact, even in states like Iowa, where Democrats are hoping to oust Ernst, contest an open governor's seat and two US House seats. Ernst, who is seeking a third term next year, picked up a Democratic challenger earlier this month after she told a town hall protester 'well, we all are going to die' in response to comments about cuts to Medicaid. Ernst doubled down on the remarks in a video filmed in a cemetery. An Ernst spokesperson pointed to Ernst's full comments, in which she said she wants to leave Medicaid funding for the 'most vulnerable' and 'those that are eligible.' 'While Democrats fearmonger against strengthening the integrity of Medicaid, Senator Ernst is focused on protecting Medicaid for the most vulnerable,' reads a statement from the senator's office. 'She will continue to stand up for Iowa's rural hospitals, clinics, and community health centers that serve our state.' Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten announced his campaign soon after Ernst's town hall, becoming the second candidate in the race after Democrat Nathan Sage, who announced in April. Some election forecasters shifted the race slightly – from solid to likely Republican — after he launched his campaign. 'We're seeing people, just everyday people calling Ernst 'Joni Hearse,'' Scholten told CNN. 'You just get that sense, politically, that if we can tap into that … this is where our foot's in the door to a lot of voters who have not been voting Democrat.' It's also motivating Democratic voters in the state. Melinda Magdalene Wings, a 65-year-old retired hospice nurse from Iowa City, Iowa, told CNN she's worried cuts to Medicaid funding would impact the assisted living home where her 86-year-old parents, including her mother who has advanced dementia, reside. In February, she started writing her representatives about the bill. 'As Iowa's elected officials, I expect them to vote for what's best for Iowa — for the people of Iowa — and not for this administration,' she said. 'Money going to millionaires doesn't make any sense.' A handful of Senate Republicans, including Tillis and Collins, have raised concerns about the impact the reconciliation bill could have on their states, particularly a Senate proposal that would limit how much states can raise provider taxes, a key source of revenue. The provider tax provision is among a handful that Senate Republicans are revising after the chamber's parliamentarian ruled they didn't meet the strict budget rules that allow the legislation to pass with a simple 51-vote majority. 'I've been very concerned about the cuts in Medicaid and the impact on my state, but other states as well,' Collins told CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday. 'I've also been concerned about the health of rural hospitals, nursing homes, health centers and have been working on a provider relief fund. But that doesn't offset the problem with the Medicaid cuts.' Tillis said Tuesday that while the bill's Medicaid cuts are 'directionally right,' Republicans 'have to do it at a pace that states can absorb, or we're gonna have bad outcomes, political and policy.' Tensions within the Senate GOP caucus have also spilled out into the open. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell told colleagues with concerns about the bill during a private GOP conference meeting that 'failure is not an option' and people in their states raising concerns about the bill's Medicaid provisions would 'get over it,' according to a report from Punchbowl News. Democrats quickly latched onto the comments. 'I hope Republicans can 'get over it' when they lose their seats in the midterms,' DNC communications director Rosemary Boeglin said in a statement. A spokesperson for McConnell said the senator was referring to people who are 'abusing' Medicaid and 'should be working,' and the need to 'withstand Democrats' scare tactics' on the issue. 'Senator McConnell was urging his fellow members to highlight that message to our constituents and remind them that we should all be against waste, fraud, and abuse while working to protect our rural hospitals and have safety nets in place for people that need it,' the statement read. Nearly 8 million more people would be uninsured in 2034 because of the Medicaid provisions in a version of the bill passed by the House last month, according to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Most of those cuts come from the legislation's work requirement, which calls for able-bodied adults without dependent children to work or volunteer at least 80 hours a month. A proposal unveiled by the Senate this month would expand that requirement to adults with children over the age of 14, which would likely result in even more people losing coverage. Republicans have argued they are reforming Medicaid to sustain the program for people who need it the most. They've focused their messaging on work requirements, which are popular with voters, and policies that would penalize states for covering undocumented immigrants with their own funds. 'President Trump and Senate Republicans are working to protect Medicaid for Americans who truly need it,' Nick Puglia, a National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson, said in a statement to CNN. 'Voters will reject Democrats' lies, fearmongering, and attempts to use taxpayer benefits to subsidize illegal aliens and their open border policies.' Republicans are also framing a vote against the reconciliation bill, which extends the individual income tax cuts in the 2017 GOP tax policy overhaul that are set to expire at the end of the year, as a vote for tax increases. 'I think in the end, this bill will play out on the Republicans saying, 'We got it done. We passed it, the economy's good. We spared you from having to pay more taxes,'' David McIntosh, the president of Club for Growth, told reporters recently. 'And then pivot to say, 'but if my Democrat opponent gets elected, they want to undo it … vote for us so that we can stop them from raising your taxes.'' A Washington Post-Ipsos poll released June 17, before the Senate released its framework, found overwhelming support for some provisions in the bill. Seventy-two percent of Americans support raising the child tax credit, 71% support extending tax cuts for individuals making less than $100,000 and 65% support eliminating taxes on tips. But, as whole, 42% of Americans oppose the bill, while 23% support it and 34% said they had no opinion. A KFF poll released the same day found that 64% of adults had an unfavorable view of the House's version of the bill. The poll found that 68% of adults – including 51% of Democrats, 66% of independents and 88% of Republicans – support work requirements, but that support for work requirements dropped to 35% when adults heard the argument that 'most people on Medicaid are already working' or unable to work. Democrats have described the work requirements as an intentional bureaucratic hurdle. Health policy experts and Democratic campaigns have also focused on the ripple effects cuts to Medicaid funding could have on the system as a whole, including rural hospitals and nursing home care. 'A lot of Medicaid patients seek care from the same providers or same types of providers,' said Adrianna McIntyre, an assistant professor of health policy and politics at Harvard University. 'So when you're pulling dollars out of the system and away from those providers, it doesn't just hurt the patients who no longer have insurance through Medicaid.' CNN's Manu Raju, Alison Main and Fredreka Schouten contributed to this report.
