On Wednesday (9/28), the Justice Department filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that PPACA's individual mandate is unconstitutional. Monday (10/3) marked the last day for professionals eligible for Stage 1 of the EHR incentive program to begin their 90-day reporting period. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation has begun a new initiative, the Comprehensive Primary Care effort, which is a multipayer program that will foster collaboration between public and private health care payers for primary care.
IN THE COURTS
On Wednesday (9/28), the constitutional battle over PPACA moved a step closer to the Supreme Court when both the administration and Republican state attorneys in the Florida lawsuit petitioned the Supreme Court to hear their case. Many of this week’s commentators suggested these petitions signal that a Supreme Court decision will likely be handed down next year as the candidates face off in the 2012 race.
AT THE AGENCIES
On Wednesday (9/28), in the wake of a report of the CLASS Act's actuary that the office would be shutting down, HHS announced it will soon be releasing recommendations regarding the CLASS office.
On Wednesday (9/28), CMS announced that it is seeking private and public health insurers to participate in the four-year Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, a multipayer and provider accountable care program that will rely on health IT. The initiative will increase Medicare payments to primary care providers who adopt a coordinated care model. A notice explaining the program will be published October 3rd in the Federal Register.
HHS is utilizing $47 million, made available by PPACA, to launch a series of initiatives to assist 900 community health centers and community-based organizations to enhance the quality and coordination of care.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released a report reviewing the IRS' planning efforts regarding the new requirements for tax-exempt hospitals required by PPACA.
CMS offered a reminder last week that Monday (10/3) was the last day for professionals eligible for Stage 1 Electronic Health Records meaningful use incentives to commence their 90-day reporting period for the first year of incentive payments. Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health records systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
ON THE HILL
On Thursday (9/29), House Republicans released a draft spending bill that would cut funding for many parts of PPACA, however, the bill remains deadlocked in the Appropriations Committee. Specifically, the legislation would block any funds from going to the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, which handles much of the Affordable Care Act's implementation as well as the establishment of the CLASS program.
Republicans in the House and Senate wrote to HHS Sec. Sebelius requesting details regarding reports that the CLASS Act implementation office has been shut down. The legislators asked Sec. Sebelius for an answer by October 6. Congressional supporters of the CLASS Act said they would do everything they can to keep the program alive.
At a speech at Stanford University on Tuesday (9/27), House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan proposed a conservative replacement to President Obama's health care reform bill. Ryan argued that a tax credit instead of Medicare, Medicaid, and government-credited employer-sponsored health care would enable individuals to choose their coverage and allow the free market to drive down prices, making care more affordable.
IN THE STATES
Idaho is seeking more than $30 million in federal grant money to build an insurance exchange. The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee met to discuss Idaho's exchange plans on Thursday.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control received $4.6 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Community Transformation Grants program, funded by the Affordable Care Act.
On Thursday (9/29), Sec. Sebelius spoke in Little Rock, Arkansas. She instructed that Arkansas Republicans who talk about limiting the federal government's reach should not oppose the Affordable Care Act because if they do not establish an exchange, the federal government will.
On Monday (9/26), a report that outlines Maine's plan for establishing a health insurance exchange was presented to a state legislative committee.
THIRD PARTIES
A new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust shows that the cost of employer-provided health insurance rose by 9 percent this year. Though health costs are never expected to decline, the size of the increase was surprising to many experts and pundits.
A survey published Monday (9/26) in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that 43 percent of primary care physicians in the United States believe that much of the health care Americans receive is unnecessary.
The Institute of Medicine has targeted Friday (10/7) for the release date of its recommendations to HHS regarding the agency's pending rule on the Affordable Care Act's essential benefits provision.
The International Franchise Association released a study, which estimates that PPACA will negatively affect tens of thousands of franchises and will impose more than $6.4 billion in increased costs, excluding expenses tied to regulatory compliance.
A paper by economists at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Cornell University College of Human Ecology details how the federal government's definition of "affordable" could leave millions of dependents and low and moderate-income workers without reasonably priced insurance.
THIS WEEK
On Tuesday (10/4) at 10:30 a.m. in SD-342 Dirksen, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security held a hearing titled "Costs of Prescription Drug Abuse in the Medicare Part D Program."
On Wednesday (10/5) at 10:00 a.m. in 538 Dirksen, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy held a hearing titled "Perspectives on the Economic Implications of the Federal Budget Deficit."
On Wednesday (10/5) at noon in B-340 Rayburn, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and Health Affairs sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing to highlight opportunities for advancing personalizing medicine to benefit patients.
On Wednesday (10/5) at 1:00 p.m., the Advisory Committee to the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ethics Subcommittee held an Advisory Committee Meeting.
On Wednesday (10/5) at 4:00 p.m. at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center (1330 G Street NW), the Cato Institute will host a policy forum titled "The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment and Evidence-Based Health Reform."
To view our compilation of recent health care reform implementation news, click here.