The American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States on April 28 asked Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to issue a written statement on behalf of the entire department confirming that HHS is not discouraging hospital-affiliated or other charitable foundations from subsidizing premiums for health insurance purchased through the new Health Insurance Marketplaces (exchanges) or cost-sharing expenses for needy enrollees. While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a Q&A on Feb. 7, 2014 stating that it did not discourage such subsidies, a recently released interim final rule regarding third-party subsidies created uncertainty regarding HHS’s official position because it did not include the Feb. 7 Q&A’s statement regarding premium and cost-sharing payment from charitable foundations.
“Although HHS staff have told us that the rule did not represent a change in HHS’s position, our members and their legal advisors need an authoritative statement on which they can rely,” the letter states.
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