Nick Hut
About the Author
Nick Hut is a former newspaper reporter with more than a decade of experience at HFMA. His HFMA Daily reporting is considered a top benefit of membership as members have come to rely on Hut’s daily insights on policy, legal and business developments. He has been at the forefront of major industry news, garnering a following from national media. Nick has earned multiple national awards, including two first-place honors in 2024 from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for excellence in analysis and reporting.
Latest Work
2025 healthcare policies timeline
The Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress have launched a flurry of healthcare initiatives and proposals since their first days. To help readers keep track of the wave of initiatives, below is a timeline of federal actions and our related coverage. Executive Actions Aug. 25: Healthcare fraud enforcement ramps up in the Trump administration, with…
How the 340B remedy payments will affect upcoming Medicare Advantage payment rates
Hospital advocates found reason for concern in a narrow aspect of the Medicare Advantage (MA) final payment rate notice for 2026. With health plans lauding the average 5.06%, $25 billion revenue increase they’re projected to reap in the upcoming year, hospitals may wonder about adverse impacts from an applied reduction in CMS’s calculation of the…
Hospitals brace for impact of tariffs (updated article)
Note: The article was updated where noted after President Donald Trump’s April 8 remark about upcoming pharmaceutical tariffs. The headline was also updated after originally stating: “Tariff impact on hospitals may be relatively restrained in the short term” Sweeping tariffs announced over the last week by the Trump administration appear to have spared the healthcare…
Final 2026 rule for MA, Part D leaves out proposed GLP-1 drug coverage
The Trump administration’s final rule setting policy and technical changes for Medicare Advantage (MA) in 2026 did not carry forward a proposal regarding GLP-1 drug coverage, but key provider-focused provisions were retained. The rule, which is scheduled for formal publication April 15 and also sets 2026 Medicare Part D policies, excludes a Biden administration proposal…
Questions about Medicaid cuts are unresolved in latest budget reconciliation blueprint (updated)
Note: This article was updated April 10 with the latest news on steps forward in the reconciliation process and a rollback of a specific set of funding by CMS. As released this week, the Senate’s latest budget reconciliation blueprint provides few answers about the impact a final bill could have on federal healthcare spending, in…
New processes for Medicare patient-status appeals have arrived, with implications for finance teams (updated)
If they have not done so already, hospitals should establish processes for responding to new regulations concerning status-appeal rights for Medicare beneficiaries. The regulations have taken effect in early 2025 after being published in an October 2024 final rule. That rule stemmed from the outcome of litigation that had begun 15 years earlier. Per the…
News Briefs: Dr. Oz describes changes he would bring to Medicaid, Medicare Advantage
During his Senate confirmation hearing for the post of CMS administrator, Mehmet Oz, MD, was not asked about his past endorsement of a Medicare Advantage (MA) for All model, in which MA would expand to cover most Americans. He did sound willing to take action against MA insurers that allegedly overcharge the government through methods…
With finances more stable, healthcare CFOs eye growth opportunities
Even with lingering financial constraints, healthcare CFOs see room for initiatives that will help their organizations enhance revenue and perhaps even profitability. “We’re finally in that post-pandemic phase in the sense that organizations are starting to see margins stabilize,” said Alina Henderson, vice president for healthcare solutions with Strata Decision Technology. In Strata’s survey (registration…
HHS restructures for the DOGE era
A massive HHS restructuring announced March 27 could have an indirect impact on providers. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced HHS would reduce its workforce by 10,000 FTEs, part of a 25% downsizing from 82,000 to 62,000, with previously announced early retirements and buyouts also factoring into the count. The department’s agencies will be pared…
Hospitals’ Medicaid appeal options may be more limited after court ruling
A recent appeals-court ruling restricts options for hospitals seeking to use litigation to ensure prompt Medicaid payment. The March 14 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Saint Anthony Hospital v. Whitehorn essentially states that hospitals do not have a legal right to sue state Medicaid programs under federal law…