(July 31, 2026) – MLN Connects Provider eNews from the Medicare Learning Network
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates in the MLN Connects Provider eNews:
Congressional Research Service Releases Report on Medicare's Financial Status
The Congressional Research Service released a report on Medicare's financial status. According to the CRS, Medicare enrolls 70.7 million beneficiaries and has total expenditures of $1.3 trillion.
The Medicare Trustees Report further projects that Medicare's unfunded obligations will increase from $60.3 trillion to $65.3 trillion over the next 75 years. Although the trustees project that the Hospital Insurance trust fund will become insolvent by 2033, incoming revenues are expected to cover about 89 percent of scheduled Part A expenditures.
The CSR report provides an overview of Medicare financing and financial status, describes the structure of Medicare, including the sources of financing for the HI and Supplemental Medicare Insurance trust funds, and summarizes 2025 Medicare spending and trust fund operations.
CMS Releases Rule to Update List of Items Subject to Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Order Prior to Delivery
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released updates to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes on the master list, the required face-to-face encounter and written order prior to delivery list and the required prior authorization list.
CMS Proposes Medicaid Indirect Hold Harmless Threshold
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a proposed rule implementing Section 71115 of H.R. 1, known as the Working Families Tax Cut Act. The proposed rule would implement new hold harmless requirements and codify the statutory limits of Section 71115. As proposed, new indirect hold harmless thresholds for health care-related taxes would generally be based on taxes that were enacted and imposed as of July 4, 2025. Comments about the proposed rule are due Monday, Sept. 21.
Before You Go ...
- This American Hospital Association resource highlights how rural hospitals are using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Sepsis Core Elements to improve early recognition, care coordination and patient outcomes. It offers practical, real-world strategies adaptable to a variety of care settings.
- Despite naloxone's over-the-counter status, a new JAMA Network Open study found that only 61 percent of U.S. retail pharmacies had the overdose-reversal medication available for same-day purchase, with access varied by pharmacy type and community demographics. The findings suggest that affordability, pharmacy stocking practices and persistent disparities continue to limit equitable access to this critical public health intervention.