This week Virginia petitioned the Supreme Court to hear its case, appealing the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling dismissing the state’s challenge to the Affordable Care Act; the Obama administration released a framework for a federally designed basic benefits package for millions of privately insured Americans; and President Obama started embracing the name, “Obamacare.”
IN THE COURTS
States and health care providers are closely watching a lawsuit argued in the Supreme Court on Monday (10/3) over whether hospitals, doctors, patients and other private parties can sue a state for not meeting federal Medicaid payment requirements.
On Friday (9/30), the state of Virginia revived its constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act. Virginia appealed to the Supreme Court the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling dismissing the state's challenge to the Affordable Care Act. One week earlier, attorneys general involved in the Florida healthcare lawsuit, as well as the Justice Department, petitioned the Supreme Court to review the 11th Circuit's ruling on their lawsuit. It is unlikely that the Supreme Court will take more than one of these cases.
AT THE AGENCIES
On Thursday (10/6), the Obama administration released a framework for a federally designed basic benefits package for millions of privately insured Americans, designed by the Institute of Medicine. Though benefit design has been the domain of insurers, employers and state officials, the Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to provide a federally approved package in order to sell to small businesses, families and individuals through the state exchanges.
ON THE HILL
Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) introduced legislation to "freeze the implementation of the health reform law, to establish a commission to evaluate its impact on the delivery of health care to current Medicare recipients, job creation, current health insurance coverage, participation in States exchanges, and the Federal deficit." The legislation was referred to the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Education and the Workforce, Natural Resources, Judiciary, House Administration, Appropriations and Rules Committees.
Discouraged that Republicans have not offered an alternative plan to PPACA, Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), said this week he will propose his own legislation as an alternative.
IN THE STATES
On Thursday (10/6), Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) said that notwithstanding opposition from some Republican legislators, she is seeking federal money in order to implement the Affordable Care Act in Arizona.
On Friday (9/30), federal officials denied Indiana's request to use a state public health savings account to cover the half million people who will become eligible for Medicaid in 2014.
Republican leaders in Colorado have stalled the state from applying for $22 million in federal funding for the state's insurance exchange. The state can apply again for funding by December 30th of this year.
THIRD PARTIES
On Thursday (10/6), staffing firms urged Congress to repeal PPACA's requirement that employers provide their workers with insurance. The industry reported that it would be devastated by the mandate because staffing firms have small numbers of permanent workers but large numbers of part-timers who under the law would actually be counted as full-time.
The American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, the Premier Healthcare Alliance and the Catholic Health Association submitted a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction requesting that the panel scrap a plan to reduce Medicare bad-debt payments because the cuts would hurt all types of hospitals.
A new study published in Health Affairs says that low-income and minority seniors already receive care at the worst hospitals in the country, and they are at risk for getting even worse care under the Affordable Care Act's provisions to reward quality of care.
On Thursday (10/6), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released criteria it believes should be used to define essential health benefits. In its list, the IOM included medical effectiveness, safety, and their relative value compared with alternatives.
A few pundits wrote this week about President Obama's new embrace of the term "Obamcacare," a word sometimes used pejoratively to refer to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The President said the Republicans were correct for calling his plan "Obamacare" because that moniker indicates he cares, and they do not.
A new white paper funded by America's Health Insurance Plans, an insurance company trade group, estimates that the federal and state governments could save up to $150 billion over the next 10 years by enrolling dual eligibiles in successful managed care plans.
THIS WEEK
On Tuesday (10/11) at 12:00 p.m. in The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium, The Heritage Foundation hosted an event titled, "Why Obamacare is Harming, Not Helping, Our Health Care System and Our Economy."
On Tuesday (10/11) at 12:15 at The Columbus Club at Union Station, the Alliance for Health Reform hosted a briefing titled, "Inside Deficit Reduction: What it Means for Medicare"
On Wednesday (10/12) at 2:00 p.m. in 562 Dirksen, the Senate Special Aging Committee will hold a hearing titled, "Finding Consensus in the Medicare Reform Debate."
On Thursday (10/13) at 10:00 a.m. in 2175 Rayburn, the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee of House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a hearing titled, "Regulations, Costs, and Uncertainty in Employer Provided Health Care."
On Friday (10/14) at 12:30 p.m. in 902 Hart, the Alliance for Health Reform will host a briefing titled, "50 Million Uninsured: The Faces Behind the Headlines."
To view our compilation of recent health care reform implementation news, click here.