This week the Obama administration filed a document with the Supreme Court urging it not to review Virginia’s case against the Obama administration because the state lacks standing, Vermont estimated a price for its single-payer plan established last May, and a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation reports that 51 percent of Americans now hold an unfavorable view of PPACA while 34 percent hold a favorable view – the lowest level of support for PPACA since its passage.
IN THE COURTS
The Obama administration filed a key document urging the Supreme Court not to review Virginia's case against the administration, which was dismissed in September by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals for lack of standing. The administration contends that, in keeping with the 4th Circuit's decision, Virginia lacks the necessary standing to proceed and so should at least be put on hold until the Supreme Court rules on the similar case filed by Florida on behalf of 26 states and one individual, who, as an aggrieved person, does have standing. A panel of legal experts gathered at The Heritage Foundation last week concluded that the Florida case will almost certainly be heard by the Supreme Court.
AT THE AGENCIES
CMS set the 2012 fee for providers to enroll in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, increasing it from $505 to $523.
On Thursday (11/3), the National Governors Association wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius. In the letter, the governors provide a number of proposals to allow the states to work with the federal government to set up jointly managed exchanges, while allowing the states to maintain their autonomy in future decisions.
On Monday (10/31), America's Health Insurance Plans submitted comments to HHS on the proposed rule for the establishment of health insurance exchanges. It warned that if the proposed rules were implemented in their current form, "the overly broad collection and disclosure of data related to transparency of coverage would create unintended consequences and harm marketplace competition, without adding value to consumers as a result of data release."
ON THE HILL
On Friday (11/4), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Tom Cole (R-Okla.) sent a letter signed by 160 representatives to the Super Committee opposing elimination of the current tax exemption for health care coverage employees receive at work.
IN THE STATES
This past May, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law a bill establishing a single-payer health care plan for the state, making Vermont the first state with a single-payer plan. At that point, Vermont was unsure of how much the plan would cost. Now, new projections by the state predict that the system will cost between $8.2 billion and $9.5 billion annually by 2020. This is equal to about $13,000 to $14,000 per resident.
On Tuesday (11/1), Wisconsin state Sen. Frank Lasee said he would prevent passage of a bill that would make the state's law comply with the Affordable Care Act.
THIRD PARTIES
After being essentially split over the health care law for the past year and a half, the majority of American people now hold an unfavorable view of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. According to the survey, 51 percent of Americans now hold an unfavorable view of PPACA while 34 percent report holding a favorable view — the lowest level of support for PPACA since the law's passage in March 2010.
According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, states are caught between the approaching expiration of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and as a result are planning to cut costs in 2012.
THIS WEEK
On Wednesday (11/9) at 9:15 a.m., AEI will host an event titled, "Dismantling the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program."
On Wednesday (11/9) at 2:00 p.m., the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution will host a discussion with U.K. Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley, who will present his vision for modernizing the U.K. health care system to improve quality and productivity.
On Wednesday (11/9) at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law will hold a hearing titled, "Your Health and Your Privacy: Protecting Health Information in a Digital World."
On Thursday (11/10) at 12:15 p.m., the Alliance for Health Reform will host a luncheon briefing titled, "Inside Deficit Reduction: What it Means for Medicaid."
On Thursday (11/10) at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled, "Improving Quality, Lowering Costs: The Role of Health Care Delivery System Reform."
To view our compilation of recent health care reform implementation news, click here.