Starting next Monday (June 17^th) is ECAP West in Arizona. It’s a terrific opportunity to meet up with operators, financial partners, vendors, and, of course, many of the Executive Directors for AHCA state affiliates based on the west coast. On opening Monday, as we did at ECAP Summit in Miami, there will be separate roundtables for state execs so that you can learn more about each individual state. There’s still time to register here.

We’d love to see you!

WHITE HOUSE:

With the President traveling this week to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, it was a relatively quiet week out of the White House. They issued a new executive action to secure the Southern border, released an update of the President’s War Powers Report, and their efforts to drive down the cost of used electric vehicles.

CONGRESS:

As we move into summer, Congress is moving into full on election mode. Messaging bills continue to dominate the conversation, while even substantive legislation that actually passes, like the first of 12 spending bills, have no shot of getting through the Senate as currently constituted. Of course, all the election news is upping the pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson, who must decide how far he wants to go on the messaging front at the risk of upsetting the working relationship he’s formed with Democrats in the last few months. With the November elections looming large, Congress is essentially looking to punt any meaningful decisions until post-election, especially as it relates to anything on the fiscal front. Get ready for a slow, noisy summer from DC. Elsewhere in the political world:

• We’ve been tracking the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the Chevron Deference, a federal doctrine that underpins federal regulation. An important read on how Congress will legislate in the new era, should the Supreme Court overturn the doctrine, as Supreme Court watchers think is likely.

• Primary season is often the de facto election for a seat, given the way districts tend to vote for one specific party. To that end, a look at takeaways from this past week’s primaries, as well as looking ahead to next week.

• As new ways to reach voters expand in the digital era, navigating new technologies, such as AI, and messaging platforms, like What’s App channels, are underpinning discussions centered on regulating them.

• A look at potential picks to be the Vice President under a new Trump administration.

• Now that Speaker Johnson has settled into a groove, a good read on how former House Speaker John Boehner has been guiding the new Speaker.

• One useful CRS report from the week: a guide on different federal funding vehicles for healthcare facilities. You can access a copy here (PDF).

AGENCIES:

A federal judge ruled against CMS in a case where the agency inappropriately calculated the MA plan’s star ratings for the year, and which will result in the health system recovering more than $250 million. Depending on how the agency proceeds, there could be serious implications for the star rating system for insurers.

We often discuss how state Medicaid programs are trying to use their Medicaid programs in different, innovative ways. A good read on the delays the waiver requests are facing in getting approval from CMS.

Massachusetts had their State Plan Amendment for nursing facility services approved by CMS. You can access it here (PDF).

FROM THE NOTEBOOK:

• Back in the early days of 2020, some states, like NY or NJ, mandated that SNF’s take covid positive patients into their facilities, despite strong opposition from those in the industry. A new study released this week shows just how devastating and short-sighted the policy was.

• NPR explored the reality of the staffing shortage through the eyes of a non-profit, highlighting that the mandate doesn’t solve the core problem: there simply isn’t enough staff to go around.

• One trend that appears to be driving folks away from a career in nursing? Social Media.

• We mentioned the FTC’s ban on non-compete agreements. Kaiser Health News explored the impact, or lack thereof, for healthcare workers.

• The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new poll on the future of Medicaid, finding that over 80% of beneficiaries want it to stay currently constituted. This is important for future discussions under a Republican Administration and efforts to change the funding structure to a block grant (as opposed to fee for service).

• Hawaii becomes the first state to offer palliative care under Medicaid, getting approval from CMS for the plan.

• Canada continues to explore new ways to encourage caregivers to come to the country, including a new pilot program that grants permanent resident status to those coming straight to a caregiver position.

• Canada was shocked (shocked!) to find that using agency and travel nurses isn’t cost-effective.

z-INTEL WhatsApp info:

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