Last week, HHS announced the first round of 26 Health Care Innovation Awards, CMS published the names of providers that have demonstrated meaningful use of electronic health records, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill to establish a health insurance exchange in his state.
AT THE AGENCIES
CMS published the names of Medicare providers that have demonstrated meaningful use of electronic health records and received incentive payments as of March 2012.
On Tuesday (5/8), HHS announced the first round of 26 Health Care Innovation Awards totaling $122.6 million. The next batch will be announced in early June. The awards support innovative projects throughout the country that are expected to save money, deliver high quality medical care and enhance the health care workforce.
CMS is encouraging states to control Medicaid costs by overhauling dual-eligible programs instead of cutting provider pay.
ON THE HILL
On Thursday (5/10), the Senate Finance Committee convened a group of former Medicare administrators to discuss the sustainable growth rate formula. The group talked about setting the sustainable growth rate close to the physicians’ own practices and moving away from a fee-for-service model.
IN THE STATES
On Thursday (5/10), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill from the majority Democratic state legislature that would have set up a health insurance exchange in the state. Gov. Christie said that if the Supreme Court upholds the Affordable Care Act, he would reconsider.
Illinois currently pays more than $800 million each year for retirees' health care, and 90 percent of those retirees pay nothing toward their health-insurance premiums. The Illinois Senate approved a measure that would end this taxpayer-subsidized benefit.
THIS WEEK
On Tuesday (5/15) at 10:00 a.m., in the Capitol Visitors Center Room SVC212-10, The National Coalition on Health Care held a forum on innovative private sector strategies to curb health costs.
On Wednesday (5/16) at 10:00 a.m., the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled "Identifying Opportunities for Health Care Delivery System Reform: Lessons from the Front Line."
To view our compilation of recent health care reform implementation news, click here.