Tag: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra

Report: 78 Percent of Georgia Hospitals Are Not Following Federal Accurate Pricing Law

The Center Square

A year-and-a-half after a law requiring hospitals to post accurate prices online went into effect, roughly three-quarters of Georgia hospitals continue to hide the cost of care from consumers.

That’s according to a new report from PatientRightsAdvocate.org. The organization reviewed 2,000 of the 6,000 accredited hospitals nationwide and found that a mere 16% complied with a federal hospital price transparency rule that took effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

In Georgia, 78% of hospitals are non-compliant.

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Rental Assistance Program Still Lacks Uniform Federal Requirements to Verify Income, Identity

Admin

A federal rental assistance program still lacks uniform federal requirements that states must follow to verify the income and identity of recipients, despite the findings and warnings in a Government Accountability Office report.

In a February 2021 report, the GAO found that 13 agencies administering the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program “reported using no electronic data to verify beneficiaries’ income, verifying income in other ways, such as checking beneficiaries’ documents.”

According to the GAO, the Department of Health and Human Services has “encouraged LIHEAP agencies to use electronic data to improve program integrity, but has not taken recent steps to share information that could facilitate its use.”

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Congressman Mark Green Requests Clarification for No Surprises Act Guidelines

Cooper Moran

U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) on Thursday sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, requesting additional guidelines and clarification on restrictions imposed by the No Surprises Act.

The legislation, which passed in December 2020, attempts to end “surprise billing” from healthcare providers to protect patients from unexpected charges.

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Files Suit to Stop Federal Funding of Abortions

Cooper Moran

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Monday announced a lawsuit against the Biden administration, aimed to prevent the funding of abortion by federal tax funds.

The lawsuit, which is joined by 11 other states, targets the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for changing a rule that prevented federally funded family planning clinics from abortion referrals.

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Leads Republican Letter Questioning Biden Restriction of Coronavirus Antibody Treatments

Cooper Moran

Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) led an effort by 55 Republican lawmakers to demand answers on why the Biden administration moved to limit potentially life-saving coronavirus antibody treatments.

The letter, also signed by Reps. Mark Green (R-TN-07) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), specifically asks why the action by the Department of Health and Human Services targets Republican-led states.

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