CMS finalizes Basic Health Program payment rates

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the final rule for the Basic Health Program (BHP), a voluntary Affordable Care Act program for states to cover low-income individuals. Enrollees who are covered through a state's BHP don't receive premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions to purchase exchange plans. Under the final rule, states implementing a BHP in 2015 will receive 95 percent of both the tax credits and cost-sharing reductions an individual would have received if he or she enrolled in an exchange health plan. Final Rule (.pdf)