CMS on Friday released the final installment of the payment notice for 2022, with additional policies for health insurance issuers and the Health Insurance Marketplaces, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Washington.

• District of Columbia: According to monthly provisional data from the U.S. Census Bureau, winter birth rates in the United States declined to "unusually low" levels during the Covid-19 pandemic. The decrease in winter birth rates suggests that some people may have delayed having babies because of Covid-19, according to The Hill. However, the bureau also acknowledged that birth rates in the United States have declined almost every year since 2008. In addition, data from 2019 also found a decline in births during the winter months—suggesting the pandemic may not be to blame for the declining birth rate in the United States. (Williams, The Hill, 9/21)

• Maryland: CMS on Friday released the third and final rule for the 2022 payment notice released earlier this year. The new rule includes a series of additional policies that aim to protect and expand access to affordable, high-quality coverage. Changes include extending open enrollment, expanding the role of navigators, and reversing certain policies on section 1332 waivers and direct enrollment pathways. (American Hospital Association, 9/20)

• Washington: Providence Health & Services on Monday announced the formation of a national foundation to fund efforts that address a wide range of challenges placing a strain on the nation's health care system. According to Providence's chief philanthropy officer, Laurie Kelley, its national foundation "will partner with the locally based foundations on significant philanthropic opportunities affecting all of our communities." (Brady, Modern Healthcare, 9/21)