In the past week, President Obama released his FY 2013 budget, which includes cuts to Medicare and Medicaid benefits and expands health care tax credits; CMS announced that it is accepting comments on its proposed guidelines for Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans; and lawmakers agreed on a “doc fix,” which will stave off payment cuts to Medicare doctors for 10 months.
IN THE COURTS
On Friday (2/17), Oregon Attorney General John Kroger announced the filing of a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Affordable Care Act's constitutionality.
AT THE AGENCIES
On Monday (2/13), President Obama released his Fiscal 2013 budget, which includes a modest set of cuts to Medicare and Medicaid benefits and aims to save $364 billion in federal health care spending over the next decade. Through the budget, the president also proposed giving an extra $1 billion to the agency implementing health reform.
President Obama's proposed budget would expand the Affordable Care Act's health care tax credits by about $14 billion over a decade. ACA says that companies with 25 or fewer workers that pay for half or more of employees' coverage can claim higher tax credits starting in 2014. The president's budget would increase the size of eligible companies to 50 or fewer workers.
On Friday (2/17), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it is accepting comments on its proposed payment and policy guidelines for Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans.
The Department of Health and Human Services rejected Wisconsin's request to phase in the medical loss ratio requirement, saying the state failed to provide data supporting its contention that companies might be forced to leave the state market if the rule were implemented immediately.
HHS Sec. Sebelius announced that the National Health Service Corps awarded $9.1 million, made available by the Affordable Care Act, to students in 30 states preparing to become primary care physicians.
ON THE HILL
On Thursday (2/16), House and Senate negotiators reached a deal to extend the payroll tax break, continue unemployment benefits and ensure that Medicare doctors do not get a pay cut this year.
IN THE STATES
Conservative Republicans in the Kansas House of Representatives are leading an effort to defund the state's share of the implementation of a health care exchange, saying the state should not take any action to implement the law until after the Supreme Court rules on the law’s constitutionality.
The administration of Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell hired Public Consulting Group to study the state's options for establishing an insurance exchange.
The New Hampshire House voted 253-92 in favor of an interstate compact bill, which would place all health care programs under the member states' control, including federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
On Monday, the Oregon House postponed a vote on a bill that would allow Oregon to move forward with plans to create a health exchange.
THIRD PARTIES
The Alliance of Specialty Medicine and the Premier health care alliance sent comment letters generally in support of proposed regulations for reporting payments to medical researchers, but made suggestions to lessen administrative burdens and clarify requirements. The proposed requirements implement a section of the Affordable Care Act, known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which calls for the CMS to publish annually the payments and transfers of value made to physicians and teaching hospitals by GPOs and drug, device, biologic and medical supply manufacturers.
THIS WEEK
On Tuesday (2/21) at 1:00 p.m. at 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW, the Woman's National Democratic Club held a discussion titled "Can We Have Good Health Care at Lower Cost?"
On Wednesday (2/22) at 1:00 p.m. at the Butler Township Administration Building in Butler, Pa., the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions will hold a field hearing titled "Health Care Challenges Facing Pennsylvania's Workers and Job Creators."
To view our compilation of recent health care reform implementation news, click here.