Official: Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius resigning
CNN
April 11, 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/10/politics/kathleen-sebelius-resigning/
Kathleen Sebelius -- who weathered heavy criticism over the flaw-filled launch of the Obamacare website, then saw the program through as it topped a major milestone -- is resigning as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a White House official said Thursday. President Barack Obama intends to nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, current director of the Office of Management and Budget, to replace Sebelius, according to the official.
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HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius resigns
USA Today
April 10, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/10/hhs-secretary-sebelius-resigns/7567733/
After a difficult five years shepherding President Obama's signature health care law, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has tendered her resignation, according to two senior administration officials. Obama accepted the resignation this week and intends to announce that he will nominate Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell to replace Sebelius.
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Historic release of data gives consumers unprecedented transparency on the medical services physicians provide and how much they are paid
CMS
April 9, 2014
http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2014-Press-releases-items/2014-04-09.html
Today, as part of the Obama administration’s work to make our health care system more transparent, affordable, and accountable, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of new, privacy-protected data on services and procedures provided to Medicare beneficiaries by physicians and other health care professionals. The new data also show payment and submitted charges, or bills, for those services and procedures by provider. “Currently, consumers have limited information about how physicians and other health care professionals practice medicine,” said Secretary Sebelius “This data will help fill that gap by offering insight into the Medicare portion of a physician’s practice. The data released today afford researchers, policymakers and the public a new window into health care spending and physician practice patterns.”
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Sliver of Medicare Doctors Get Big Share of Payouts
The New York Times
April 9, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/business/sliver-of-medicare-doctors-get-big-share-of-payouts.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140409&nlid=58462464&tntemail0=y&_r=0
A tiny fraction of the 880,000 doctors and other health care providers who take Medicare accounted for nearly a quarter of the roughly $77 billion paid out to them under the federal program, receiving millions of dollars each in some cases in a single year, according to the most detailed data ever released in Medicare’s nearly 50-year history.
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Data uncover nation’s top Medicare billers
The Washington Post
April 9, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/data-uncover-nations-top-medicare-billers/2014/04/08/9101a77e-bf39-11e3-b574-f8748871856a_story.html
The Medicare program is the source of a small fortune for many U.S. doctors, according to a trove of government records that reveal unprecedented details about physician billing practices nationwide. The government insurance program for older people paid nearly 4,000 physicians in excess of $1 million each in 2012, according to the new data. Those figures do not include what the doctors billed private insurance firms. The release of the information gives the public access for the first time to the billing practices of individual doctors nationwide. Consumer groups and news outlets have pressured Medicare to release the data for years. And in doing so Wednesday, Medicare officials said they hope the data will expose fraud, inform consumers and lead to improvements in care.
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First look at Medicare data in 35 years
USA Today
April 9, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/09/government-releases-medicare-physician-payment/7462923/
Reimbursements to doctors who provide Medicare services in 2012 ranged from nearly $21 million to a single Florida ophthalmologist to the $27,000 for the average anesthesiologist, according to the first look at government payment data in 35 years. The data were released this week by the Center for Medicare Services after a court order lifted an injunction sought by the American Medical Association had been in place since 1979.
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Medicare pay data laid bare
Politico
April 9, 2014
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/medicare-pay-data-laid-bare-105500.html?hp=r4
The Obama administration will lift the veil Wednesday on tens of billions of dollars in Medicare payments to physicians, an unprecedented disclosure that will train a harsh spotlight on top-billing doctors around the country. Physician groups have long resisted such a specific accounting of individual providers’ pay, and they continue to warn that the raw payment information — lacking the right context — could ruin the careers of quality docs. Yet the massive release brings what federal health officials tout as a measure of transparency to a notoriously inscrutable system. Academic researchers and the media are expected to immediately begin dissecting the information to identify potential cases of fraud or abuse as well as differences in how Medicare services are used in various parts of the country.
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Top Medicare Doctor Paid $21 Million in 2012, Data Shows
Bloomberg
April 9, 2014
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-09/top-medicare-doctor-paid-21-million-in-2012-data-shows.html
A doctor who treats a degenerative eye disease in seniors was paid $21 million by Medicare in 2012, twice the amount received by the next ophthalmologist on a list of 880,000 medical providers released by the government. The data on the payments was given to the public for the first time today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The list, a detailed account of how $77 billion in federal health-care funds were spent in 2012, showed a wide range in which some top earners were paid as much as 100 times the average for their respective fields.
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Democrats, GOP clash as debate opens on Ryan budget plan
The Washington Post
April 8, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-gop-clash-as-debate-opens-on-ryan-budget-plan/2014/04/08/f7f0c848-bf48-11e3-b574-f8748871856a_story.html
Democrats and Republicans clashed Tuesday over the outlines of Rep. Paul Ryan’s final budget proposal, which would slash $5 trillion of anticipated spending over the next decade and may serve as a key fault line in the November midterm elections. Ryan (R-Wis.), in his final year as House Budget Committee chairman, opened what will be three days of debate before final passage by hailing his last fiscal blueprint as one that “sets priorities” and makes tough choices on entitlement programs — efforts, he said, that ultimately will lead to balanced federal books.
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U.S. insurers still expect cuts in 2015 Medicare payments
Reuters
April 8, 2014
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/08/us-usa-healthcare-medicare-idUSBREA361R520140408
U.S. health insurers said on Tuesday they still expected cuts in government reimbursements for privately managed Medicare health plans for the elderly next year even after the Obama administration rolled back the steepest reductions. The government agency that oversees Medicare said late on Monday that on average, reimbursements to insurers for private Medicare plans would rise 0.4 percent, reversing what it said was a proposed cut of 1.9 percent. The insurance industry and advocates for the elderly had lobbied against the cuts, which were first proposed in February, saying they would reduce benefits for older people.
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Uninsured rate falling
The Hill
April 8, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202999-overnight-health-uninsured-rate-falling
Approximately 9.3 million people have gained health insurance since ObamaCare went live in October, a new study finds. The Rand Corp. analysis, which only polled people through mid-March — before the late surge of ObamaCare sign-ups — found that the uninsured rate fell from 20.5 percent to 15.8 percent in that time. This is in line with a Gallup survey released last week that showed the uninsured rate falling to 15.6 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2008. Rand said that 14.5 million in total have gained new coverage since the launch, but 5.2 million of those were due to canceled policies that had to be replaced, leaving 9.3 million newly insured.
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Hatch, Grassley Seek Detail on HHS' Role in State Health Care Exchange Problems
Senate Finance Committee
April 8, 2014
http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/ranking/release/?id=86c7b227-be70-4134-a348-1ba6766eaa93
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa are seeking details of the federal government’s role in overseeing and offering help to troubled state health care exchanges. “While HHS's decision to extend the open enrollment period allows states extra time to fix technical glitches, it is unlikely that all of the problems in the exchanges can be fixed easily or quickly,” Grassley and Hatch said. “It also raises questions about the sustainability of the exchange model, and whether citizens will experience the same difficulties in October 2014 when the open enrollment period begins again. Even if the exchanges are fixed, it is unknown how much money has been poured into building -- and fixing -- these systems. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars on exchanges that are riddled with problems a full six months after launch is an irresponsible use of taxpayer money.”
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Survey: Net gain of 9.3M insured under O-Care
The Hill
April 8, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202981-survey-net-gain-of-93-million-insured-since
Approximately 9.3 million people have gained health insurance since ObamaCare went live in October, a new study finds. The Rand Corp. analysis, which only polled people through mid-March, before the late surge of ObamaCare sign-ups, found that the uninsured rate has fallen from 20.5 percent to 15.8 percent in that time. This is in line with a Gallup survey released last week that showed the uninsured rate falling to 15.6 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2008. Rand said that 14.5 million in total have gained new coverage since the launch, but 5.2 million of those were due to cancelled policies that had to be replaced, leaving 9.3 million newly insured.
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Treasury unsure if it has authority to delay ObamaCare individual mandate
The Hill
April 8, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202965-treasury-unsure-if-it-has-authority-to-delay
A Treasury Department official testified Tuesday that the department never analyzed whether it has the legal authority to delay the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate because officials concluded ahead of time that such a delay would harm individuals. At a Ways and Means Health subcommittee hearing, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) asked Deputy Assistant Secretary Kevin Iwry more than five times if department officials believed they had the authority to delay the individual mandate the way they did the employer mandate. “If we don’t believe it is appropriate to be delaying that provision, if we believe it is fair to individuals to keep that in place because it protects them … then we don’t reach the question whether we have legal authority,” Iwry said.
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House to pass new, bipartisan ObamaCare tweak
The Hill
April 8, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/healthcare/202951-house-to-pass-new-bipartisan-obamacare-tweak
The House this week is expected to pass a new bipartisan bill that would create an exemption under ObamaCare for people working outside their home country. The Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act, H.R. 4414, was introduced by Rep. John Carney (D-Del.) this week. The bill is cosponsored by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and eight other House Republicans, along with 11 other House Democrats. An aide to Carney said the House is likely to consider it under a suspension of the rules on Wednesday, a sign it will pass easily.
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Democrats' Medicare Advantage Cuts Hurt Seniors
Committee on Ways and Means
April 7, 2014
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=375744
Today, CMS outlined the ObamaCare cuts to Medicare Advantage (MA) as part of its 2015 rate notice. While CMS relented on several administrative changes that would have layered on top of the ObamaCare cuts scheduled to hit, it remains clear that these cuts will negatively impact seniors who will feel the harsh realities of the MA cuts. However, as the Wall Street Journal reported, Democrats are finally sharing the concerns Republicans have voiced since the cuts were proposed. In fact, Republicans highlighted the projections outlined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) actuaries that noted ObamaCare’s cuts would cause millions to lose the coverage that they have and like.
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Hatch On CMS Decision to Scale Back Proposed Medicare Advantage Cuts
Senate Finance Committee
April 7, 2014
http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/ranking/release/?id=2c3f11a4-040f-4b7b-a17a-9ce061e41470
U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, today issued the following statement after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announced its decision to pare back previously proposed cuts to the market-driven Medicare Advantage (MA) program: “Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage continue to suffer from the more than $300 billion in severe cuts used to fund ObamaCare. Although CMS has scaled back some of the new proposed cuts, much more work needs to be done to protect our seniors.”
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Obama administration reverses proposed cut to Medicare plans
The Washington Post
April 7, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/04/07/obama-administration-reverses-proposed-cut-to-medicare-plans/
Medicare has reversed proposed payment cuts to private heath plans in the popular Medicare Advantage program for the second straight year amid strong pushback from health insurers and Capitol Hill. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday, after proposing in February a 1.9 percent cut to private plans, said government payments to insurers in the Medicare Advantage program will increase .4 percent on average in 2015. The increase, CMS said, is slightly higher than what insurers had requested. "That gives us great confidence with this final rate structure we'll continue to see a strong program," said CMS principal deputy administrator Jonathan Blum.
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CMS Ensures Higher Value and Quality for Medicare Health and Drug Plans
CMS
April 7, 2014
http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2014-Press-releases-items/2014-04-07.html
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2015 rate announcement and final call letter for Medicare Advantage and prescription drug benefit (Part D) programs. The announcement sets a stable path for Medicare Advantage and implements a number of policies that ensure beneficiaries will continue to have access to a wide array of high quality, high value, and low cost options while making certain that plans are providing value to Medicare and taxpayers.
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Proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage plans out, payment hikes in
McClatchy
April 7, 2014
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/07/223695/proposed-cuts-to-medicare-advantage.html
In a move that blunts a potent line of political attacks from Republicans, the Obama administration reversed itself on Monday, announcing that private health plans that provide Medicare benefits will see a slight increase in government payments next year, rather than the reduction that was proposed earlier.Congressional Democrats, many facing tough re-election bids, had recently joined Republicans in asking that these private health plans, known as Medicare Advantage, be spared from payment cuts next year, even though they receive an average of six percent, or $8 billion, more this year to cover their enrollees than it would cost under the traditional Medicare program.
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Obama backs down on cuts to Medicare
The Hill
April 7, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/202897-obama-backs-down-on-cuts-to-medicare
The Obama administration on Monday canceled planned cuts to Medicare Advantage amid a drumbeat of election-year opposition from Democrats. The cuts would have reduced the benefits that seniors receive from insurance plans in the program, which offers an alternative to traditional Medicare. The reversal came as a relief to many Democrats, who feared the cuts would create a backlash among seniors in the midterm elections.
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Healthcare cuts canceled after Dem complaints
The Hill
April 7, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202879-overnight-health-healthcare-cuts-cancelled
The Obama administration announced Monday that planned cuts to Medicare Advantage would not go through as anticipated amid election-year opposition from congressional Democrats. The cuts would have reduced benefits that seniors receive from healthcare plans in the program, which is intended as an alternative to Medicare. Under cuts planned by the administration, insurers offering the plans were to see their federal payments reduced by 1.9 percent, which likely would have necessitated cuts for customers. Instead, the administration said the federal payments to insurers will increase next year by .4 percent.
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Boehner: GOP bill doesn't expand ObamaCare
The Hill
April 7, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202822-boehner-disputes-notion-that-gop-bill-expands
An aide to Speaker John Boehner wrote a blog post late Sunday defending GOP support for an ObamaCare fix that went largely unnoticed when it passed the House last month. The clarification came after the influential conservative news aggregator the Drudge Report led its website with the headline: “Republicans Expand ObamaCare?” In late March, House leadership infuriated rank and file by approving legislation to prevent a pending cut to Medicare physician rates in a voice vote with only dozens of members on the floor. That bill included a provision to eliminate caps on deductibles for all small group policies. Republicans believe the provision will provide more options for small businesses and encourage employees to invest in health savings accounts.
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Uninsured rate hits lowest level since '08
The Hill
April 7, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202792-uninsured-rate-in-us-at-lowest-level-since
The United States’s uninsured rate is at its lowest level since 2008, according to a survey Gallup released Monday. During the first quarter of this year, the number of people without health insurance dropped to 15.6 percent. That rate represents a drop of 1.5 percentage points since the fourth quarter of last year, Gallup found. Gallup found that as the March 31 deadline for enrolling in federal and state health exchanges under ObamaCare approached, more people obtained health insurance. It found the uninsured rate has dropped about the same amount among adults ages 26 to 64 and those ages 18 to 25. Between the end of last year and the end of March, the uninsured rate has dropped about 2 percentage points among those ages 18 to 25.
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Pfeiffer: ‘We’re going to keep the Senate’
The Hill
April 6, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/202767-pfeiffer-were-going-to-keep-the-senate
White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer on Sunday rejected the suggestion that Republicans will take control of the Senate in the midterm elections, saying that the GOP argument to repeal ObamaCare is a “political loser.” “I'd say we believe we're going to keep the Senate,” Pfeiffer said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “But look, health care is a divisive issue,” he added. “It's been that way for a very long time. That's where it took 15 years to get health reform passed. “I do think that the Republican argument for repeal is a political loser. What they're arguing now is that the seven million people who signed up through the exchanges and the millions more who got it from Medicaid and other ways, they're going to take health care away from all of those people.”
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Pelosi rebuffs Gibbs on O-Care prediction
The Hill
April 6, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/healthcare/202757-pelosi-rebuffs-gibbs-on-o-care-prediction
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) maintained Sunday that the Affordable Care Act’s oft-delayed employer mandate must remain part of the law, pushing back against recent suggestions from President Obama’s former top spokesman that the provision would be scrapped. During an appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union," the California Democrat touted last week’s announcement that roughly 7.1 million people signed up for health insurance ObamaCare through the law’s exchanging, surpassing a key benchmark. “We are celebrating the fact that we have over seven million who have signed up,” Pelosi said, adding that she would not support a version of the law that did not include its requirement for most businesses to offer their worker coverage or pay a penalty.
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Obama’s new healthcare dilemma
The Hill
April 6, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicare/202702-obamas-new-healthcare-dilemma
Democrats are battling the White House over proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage, creating a new divide on healthcare just as the party had begun to rally around ObamaCare’s 7.1 million enrollees. The issue threatens the newfound momentum Democrats have on healthcare after a late surge of ObamaCare enrollees surprised and electrified a party that had been beaten down after months of bad news associated with the healthcare law’s rollout. It’s particularly sensitive during an election year, as both parties court senior voters, who make up a disproportionate percentage of the voting population in midterm elections. The issue creates another talking point for Republican candidates in a year when the party hopes to gain control of the Senate.
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Obama’s challenge: Don’t blow it
Politico
April 6, 2014
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/barack-obama-health-care-affordable-care-act-challenge-105397.html
President Barack Obama clocked a huge win by hitting his target 7 million Obamacare enrollment. Now he’s faced with a tougher task: not blowing it. Obama’s got a history of watching his victories slip away before fully capitalizing on them. Last year alone, his reelection bump disappeared into a triple whammy of low-grade spring scandals. Then, all the goodwill he had coming out of the government shutdown was eclipsed by the devastating HealthCare.gov rollout. Not only does this give him a chance to show that he and his party actually can be trusted to run government and a shot at reclaiming the narrative of his presidency, it comes just in time for the midterm elections that will determine his party’s fate in 2014 — and his own over the next three years.
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CBO’s Obamacare estimate: it’s more complicated than you think
The Washington Post
April 4, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2014/04/04/cbos-obamacare-estimate-its-more-complicated-than-you-think/
With all of the hoopla this week about the administration achieving 7 million sign-ups for the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges, we wanted to offer a technical note about the source of that goal — the estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that 7 million people would be enrolled in the exchanges. After healthcare.gov’s troubled start, CBO then reduced the estimate to 6 million. Many reporters and politicians have assumed that this meant that CBO predicted that 6 million would be enrolled in the exchanges (and separately an additional 8 million in Medicaid) when the enrollment period ended on March 31. Indeed, on Sept. 5, 2013, Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sent Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius a memo titled, “Projected Monthly Enrollment Targets for Health Insurance Marketplaces in 2014.” That document laid out month-by-month enrollment targets, culminating in 7 million by March 31.
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HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Statement on National Minority Health Month
HHS
April 4, 2014
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2014pres/04/20140404a.html
In April, we commemorate National Minority Health Month, a time to raise awareness about health disparities that persist among racial and ethnic minorities. This year’s theme - “Prevention is Power: Taking Action for Health Equity” - embodies the ambitious goal put forward by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to achieve “a nation free of disparities in health and health care.” Despite some recent progress in addressing health disparities, great challenges remain. Minorities are far more likely than non-Hispanic whites to suffer from chronic conditions, many of which are preventable. This is a particularly troubling statistic, because chronic diseases account for seven of the ten leading causes of death in our nation.
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Will employer mandate survive?
The Hill
April 4, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202636-delays-cast-doubt-on-o-care-mandate
Delays to ObamaCare's employer mandate are raising doubts about whether the policy will ever be put into place. Allies of the administration are questioning whether the requirement for businesses to provide insurance will ever be implemented, given the drumbeat of opposition from industry groups. On Wednesday, former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said he thinks the mandate will be scrapped. "It’s a small part of the law. I think it will be one of the first things to go," Gibbs told a healthcare gathering in Colorado.
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Proposed health IT strategy aims to promote innovation, protect patients, and avoid regulatory duplication
HHS
April 3, 2014
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2014pres/04/20140403d.html
HHS today released a draft report that includes a proposed strategy and recommendations for a health information technology (health IT) framework, which promotes product innovation while maintaining appropriate patient protections and avoiding regulatory duplication. The congressionally mandated report was developed in consultation with health IT experts and consumer representatives and proposes to clarify oversight of health IT products based on a product’s function and the potential risk to patients who use it. The draft report can be found here. The report was developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in consultation with two other federal agencies that oversee health IT: HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FDA seeks public comment on the draft document.
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: House rejects O-Care's 30-hour workweek
The Hill
April 3, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202635-overnight-health-house-rejects-o-cares-30-hour
The House voted Thursday to eliminate a piece of ObamaCare that Republicans say is forcing millions of people to accept reduced hours and smaller paychecks. Members passed the Save American Workers Act in a 248-179 vote, after a debate that stretched out over two days. Eighteen Democrats voted with Republicans, a bit more than the seven Democratic co-sponsors of the legislation, H.R. 2575. The bill would eliminate language in ObamaCare that defines a full-time employee as anyone working 30 or more hours a week, and insert a 40-hour requirement. Republicans say that language creates an incentive for companies to reduce people's hours to 29 or fewer, because that move would reduce the number of full-time employees on staff.
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Dems ask Obama to stop health cuts
The Hill
April 3, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/healthcare/202631-dems-plead-with-obama-not-to-cut-medicare-advantage
Several Democrats took to the House floor Thursday night to call on the Obama administration not to cut Medicare Advantage payment rates. The Democratic speeches opposing Obama are a turnaround from the usual fare in the House, which routinely sees Republicans stand up to oppose the implementation of ObamaCare. But pending cuts to the Medicare Advantage program proposed by the administration in February are opposed by many Democrats, and the cuts threaten to play into the midterm elections this year.
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Final O-Care enrollment deadline to hit April 15
The Hill
April 3, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202574-final-o-care-enrollment-deadline-to-hit-april
The final deadline for enrolling in the ObamaCare exchanges is April 15, according to the Obama administration. People who have started but were unable to complete applications for private health coverage under ObamaCare will have nearly two weeks to complete their work and avoid a tax penalty. Federal health officials announced last month that people with applications in progress on the original deadline, March 31, would be provided more time. The April 15 deadline was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. "For those in line on the 31st, we encourage consumers to finish the process as soon as possible," Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told the Journal. "They must complete their enrollment by no later than the 15th for coverage this year."
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April 15 mixes tax, Obamacare deadlines
Politico
April 3, 2014
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/final-obamacare-enrollment-to-end-april-15-105354.html?hp=l10
April 15 will be the last day for most people to enroll in Obamacare exchanges for health coverage during 2014. Although the official deadline was midnight Monday, the Obama administration had offered anyone who started an application by then the chance to continue enrolling — but not until Thursday did it give a hard deadline for this grace period. As is the case with private insurance, people who experience major life changes that affect their health coverage, such as marriage, divorce or job loss, still can apply for coverage at any time. But the April 15 cutoff for those who’d been stymied by HealthCare.gov glitches or lagging paper applications should bring Obamacare’s first open enrollment period to a true close.
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State Officials Cite Technology Problems on Health Insurance Sites
The New York Times
April 3, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/us/state-officials-cite-technology-problems-on-health-insurance-sites.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140403&nlid=58462464&tntemail0=y&_r=1
Officials from five states, on the defensive at a congressional hearing, said Thursday that their health insurance exchanges had been hobbled by technology problems like those that bedeviled the federal marketplace. But they said their states were recovering. The states — Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Oregon — all have Democratic governors who support the Affordable Care Act. They built their own exchanges with millions of dollars of federal money, but many residents in all five states were frustrated as they tried to enroll online last fall.
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Committee Advances Four Bipartisan Public Health Bills That Would Help Newborns, Trauma Patients, and Veterinarians
House Energy and Commerce Committee
April 3, 2014
http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/committee-advances-four-bipartisan-public-health-bills-would-help-newborns-trauma
The House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced four bipartisan public health bills that would help newborns, trauma patients, and veterinarians. The committee approved H.R. 1281, “The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act,” H.R. 3548, “The Improving Trauma Care Act,” H.R. 4080, “The Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act,” and H.R. 1528, “The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act.” One amendment was offered to H.R. 1281, online here, that will accelerate the approval process for the screening of new diseases and encourage the use of best practices.
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HHS: Same-sex spouses can qualify for Medicare special enrollment
The Hill
April 3, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicare/202548-hhs-same-sex-spouses-can-qualify-for-medicare-special-enrollment
Federal health officials announced Thursday that the government will begin to process requests for Medicare special enrollment periods from same-sex spouses. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the development responds to a Supreme Court decision from last year declaring part of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. The ruling in that case, U.S. v. Windsor, means Medicare can recognize same-sex marriages for the purpose of determining eligibility. Thursday's HHS announcement carries out some of the fine print of that change. "Today’s announcement helps to clarify the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision and to ensure that all married couples are treated equally under the law,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement.
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Grassley, Wyden Comment on CMS Transparency Announcement
Senate Finance Committee
April 2, 2014
http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/chairman/release/?id=c7cb5658-cb77-4b7a-8e4f-3729156898d8
U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are long-time advocates for transparency in medicine and co-authors of the Medicare Data Access for Transparency and Accountability Act (Medicare DATA Act). They made the following comments on the announcement today from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that it will “provide the public unprecedented access to information about the number and type of health care services that individual physicians and certain other health care professionals delivered in 2012 and the amount Medicare paid them for those services, on or after April 9.”
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What’s Next for Health Care
The New York Times
April 2, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/us/whats-next-for-health-care.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140402&nlid=58462464&tntemail0=y&_r=0
The first open enrollment period for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act has just ended, and consumers, insurers and federal officials now face many immediate chores and challenges that will help determine if the law works as intended. Many questions about the law’s potential impact on the health care system remain, and here are some preliminary answers.
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Barack Obama on GOP health care and economic plans: ‘Stinkburger’ or ‘meanwich’
Politico
April 2, 2014
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/barack-obama-republican-health-care-plan-stinkburger-meanwich-105309.html?hp=r4
President Barack Obama headed out on the road Wednesday still glowing from the latest Obamacare numbers and set his sights on congressional Republicans still working to obstruct his agenda. The House GOP’s new budget proposal and efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act “should be familiar because it was their economic plan in the 2012 campaign, it was their economic plan in 2010,” he said at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “It’s like that movie ‘Groundhog Day.’ Except it’s not funny.”
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CMS plans landmark release of Medicare data
The Hill
April 2, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202509-obama-administration-plans-landmark-release-of
Federal health officials are preparing to release previously Medicare undisclosed data as a way to heighten transparency and discourage waste in the notoriously opaque U.S. healthcare system. Expected within a week, the unprecedented report comes as part of the Affordable Care Act and will reveal the services performed and payments received by Medicare physicians in 2012. The initiative is primarily aimed at researchers interested in studying usage trends and will not contain information about specific beneficiaries.
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Lawmaker: Government itself is confused over ObamaCare's 30-hour workweek
The Hill
April 2, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/healthcare/202480-lawmaker-government-itself-is-confused-over-obamacares-30-hour
A House Republican lawmaker said Wednesday that ObamaCare is forcing the federal government to send mixed messages about something as simple as how to define "full-time employee." Speaking on the House floor today, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) noted that ObamaCare requires companies to treat anyone working 30 hours a week or more as a full-time worker for purposes under the health law. But he said other federal departments use 40 hours, an inconsistency that is also leading to confusion among companies. "Just last week… news reports showed that on different forms of the federal agencies, and in different offices, full-time work was being described as 40 hours by some agencies, 30 hours by other departments, and 35 hours by still others," Fitzpatrick said.
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House advances bill to end ObamaCare's 30-hour workweek
The Hill
April 2, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/votes/202452-house-advances-bill-ending-obamacares-30-hour-workweek
The House on Wednesday advanced legislation that would eliminate language in ObamaCare that Republicans say is forcing millions of workers to accept fewer hours and smaller paychecks. In a 236-186 vote, members approved a rule governing debate on the Save American Workers Act, H.R. 2575. Seven Democrats voted for the rule. The bill would eliminate language in the Affordable Care Act that defines full-time workers as working more than 30 hours a week. That definition is important because ObamaCare says companies with more than 50 full-time workers must offer them health insurance. Republicans have said those two provisions create an incentive for companies to cut worker hours to less than 30 per week, to stay below the threshold.
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Hatch: White House Not Telling the Full ObamaCare Story
Senate Finance Committee
April 1, 2014
http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/ranking/release/?id=9e78f47d-d50e-4dc2-ae65-d177f43c98b9
U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement after President Obama delivered remarks on ObamaCare today: “While President Obama touted the seven million enrollment total today he failed to tell Americans the full story. He failed to mention that Congress’s own nonpartisan budget scorekeeper, the Congressional Budget Office, found the same number of people could actually lose access to their employer-based coverage. And, he failed to mention how many Americans signing up for ObamaCare used to have insurance they liked and doctors they trusted before they lost them due to this law. The president can continue to ignore the harsh side-effects of his health law, but the American people have to live with these realties.”
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ObamaCare comeback?
The Hill
April 1, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202387-obamacare-comeback
The Obama administration on Tuesday celebrated its announcement that 7.1 million people had enrolled in health insurance through ObamaCare. The surprising final number exceeded an important benchmark and represented a significant achievement for the administration after a troubled rollout of the law handed midterm election-year momentum to Republicans. An ebullient President Obama announced the new figure in the Rose Garden, where he also took a confrontational tone with congressional Republican leaders who this week said they still wanted to repeal the law. “I don’t get it,” Obama said. “Why are folks working so hard for people not to have health insurance? Why are they so mad about folks having health insurance?"
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: ObamaCare enrollment surpasses 7 million
The Hill
April 1, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202365-overnight-health-obamacare-enrollment
More than 7 million people enrolled in ObamaCare during the first open enrollment period, President Obama announced Tuesday in the Rose Garden. "Despite several lost weeks out of the gate because of problems with the website, 7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance through these marketplaces," the president said. The 7.1 million figure was more than the 7.041 million announced by press secretary Jay Carney just hours earlier. The administration is allowing consumers who were unable to complete their applications to continue the process beyond Monday. Moreover, the federal government is still collecting data from states who run their own states. Elise Viebeck and Justin Sink at The Hill report.
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Sebelius thanks staff for perseverance on ObamaCare rollout
The Hill
April 1, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202362-sebelius-thanks-staff-for-perseverance-on
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius thanked her staff Tuesday for all their work in helping the administration reach its ObamaCare enrollment goal. “None of these historic achievements would have been possible without your tireless efforts, your unshakable commitment to public service, and your compassion for the people our Department aims to serve,” Sebelius wrote in an email to HHS that was obtained by The Hill. Sebelius also acknowledged the intense focus that fell on her agency during the rocky rollout of the law. “I know that this law has been at the center of much debate and discourse in Washington, but what this enrollment demonstrates is that the Affordable Care Act is working and much needed,” she said.
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Obama jabs press: Future HealthCare.gov outages ‘won’t be news’
The Hill
April 1, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202361-obama-future-healthcaregov-outages-wont-be
President Obama expressed the White House’s frustration with news coverage of the Affordable Care Act’s rocky rollout by taking a jab at the press on Tuesday. During his ObamaCare enrollment victory lap speech in the Rose Garden, the president swiped at reporters, who the White House believes were too eager to spotlight every incremental development associated with the site's botched launch. “I want to make sure everybody understands — in the months, years ahead, I guarantee you there will be additional challenges to implementing this law,” Obama said. “There will be days when the website stumbles. I guarantee it. So, press, I want you to anticipate there will be some moment when the website is down, and I know it will be on all your front pages. It’s going to happen. It won’t be news.” Obama cracked a smile during the remark, and Vice President Biden, standing behind the president, laughed as well.
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Obama: 7.1M enrolled in O-Care
The Hill
April 1, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/202265-report-7-million-obamacare-enrollees-in-sight
More than 7 million people enrolled in ObamaCare during the first open enrollment period, President Obama announced Tuesday in the Rose Garden. "Despite several lost weeks out of the gate because of problems with the website, 7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance through these marketplaces," the president said. The 7.1 million figure was more than the 7.041 million announced by press secretary Jay Carney just hours earlier. The administration is allowing consumers who were unable to complete their applications to continue the process beyond Monday. Moreover, the federal government is still collecting data from states who run their own states.
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Senate may pass ObamaCare tweak in unemployment bill
The Hill
April 1, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/healthcare/202274-senate-may-pass-obamacare-tweak-in-unemployment-bill
The Senate this week is on track to pass a five-month extension of unemployment benefits that might also include a bipartisan tweak to ObamaCare. Senate Democrats are using a House-passed bill, H.R. 3979, as a vehicle to carry their unemployment extension. In the House, that bill was the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act. The House passed this bill back in March, along with two other bills creating new ObamaCare exemptions. The legislation is aimed at ensuring volunteer firefighters and emergency services workers do not have to be offered health insurance under ObamaCare. Supporters say requiring insurance for these volunteers would create financial hardships that could threaten the provision of emergency services.
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HealthCare.gov stumbles on deadline day as consumers race to sign up for insurance
The Washington Post
March 31, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/healthcaregov-pushed-beyond-capacity-new-applications-halted/2014/03/31/03cbc234-b8fb-11e3-96ae-f2c36d2b1245_story.html
The first six-month window for Americans to gain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act closed on Monday with large numbers of consumers speeding to get coverage at the last minute. Some of them encountered obstacles as HealthCare.gov, the main enrollment Web site, faltered on and off throughout the day. Union halls, shopping-mall kiosks and insurance company lobbies across the country were jammed with people racing to get insurance on the final day before the law required most Americans to choose health insurance or risk a financial penalty.
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Health Care Signups Reach Frenzy in Final Day to Enroll
The New York Times
March 31, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/us/health-website-failures-impede-signup-surge-as-deadline-nears.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140331&nlid=58462464&tntemail0=y&_r=1
A frenzied last-minute scramble to sign up for health insurance overloaded phone lines and temporarily overwhelmed the website of the federal marketplace on Monday, as hundreds of thousands of people around the country raced to beat the deadline to obtain coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Administration officials, stepping up the push for enrollment in the final hours, said they were confident that they would reach their original goal of having seven million people sign up for private health plans through federal and state exchanges. But the end of the open enrollment period, which began six months ago with the disastrous debut of the federal website, starts a new phase likely to be defined by the economics of health insurance as well as by politics.
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Senate backs one-year ‘doc fix’ patch
Politico
March 31, 2014
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/senate-doc-fix-105227.html?hp=l3
The Senate on Monday approved a Medicare physician payment bill that would prevent a cut in payments for one year, after lawmakers in both chambers failed to find a permanent solution to the long-simmering problem. The bill passed on a bipartisan 64-35 vote, and now heads to the president’s desk. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden opposed the patch in favor of a permanent fix. The latest “doc fix” prevents a 24 percent cut in physician pay and comes after a battle on Capitol Hill over whether to permanently repeal the formula — and the politically dicey question of how to pay for that — or patch it for another year. The bill also delays for a year the ICD-10 implementation of new medical codes.
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ObamaCare traffic surges in deadline rush
The Hill
March 31, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202251-o-care-traffic-surge-in-rush-to-deadline
HealthCare.gov crashed twice Monday as an apparent surge of visitors rushed to register before the 11:59 p.m. insurance enrollment deadline for President Obama’s healthcare law. By 2 p.m., the site had received some 1.6 million visits, a higher volume of traffic than ever before, according to the administration. Applicants also queued for several hours as the website coped with a peak of 125,000 concurrent visitors. The administration did not announce a final sign-up count, but in a sign of buoyed confidence at the White House, press secretary Jay Carney predicted final enrollment would “significantly” exceed 6 million people, its last reported total. “We’re going to have a very strong number when this period ends,” Carney said Monday.
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Obama predicts enrollment 'close' to 7 million
The Hill
March 31, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202248-obama-predicts-enrollment-close-to-7-million
President Obama predicted the administration would end up "reasonably close" to the 7 million people that the Congressional Budget Office originally projected would enroll in private insurance plans through ObamaCare during the program’s first year. "We admittedly had just a terrible start because the website wasn't working, and despite losing effectively two months, we are going to be reasonably close to that original projection," the president said in an interview with CBS News taped during his visit to Rome last week. On Monday, White House press secretary Jay Carney predicted that final enrollment numbers would be "substantially larger" than the 6 million announced by the president last week.
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Senate sends ‘doc fix’ to Obama
The Hill
March 31, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/202235-senate-sends-doc-fix-to-obama
More than 15 Senate Republicans joined most Democrats in passing a bill that prevents a pending cut to Medicare physician rates. On a 64-35 vote Monday, the Senate cleared the House-passed 13-month “doc fix.” In order to get agreement to hold the vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) held final passage to a 60-vote threshold. “While I’m pleased with this temporary patch, I hope it’s our last patch,” Reid said ahead of the vote. GOP Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Susan Collins (Maine), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), John Cornyn (Texas), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), David Vitter (La.), John Hoeven (N.D.) and Roger Wicker (Miss.) voted for the bill.
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: On deadline day, HealthCare.gov struggles to meet demand
The Hill
March 31, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202220-overnight-health-on-deadline-day-healthcaregov
HealthCare.gov, for a second time on Monday, experienced technical difficulties that left some visitors unable to access the site. While the administration said the problem was resolved quickly on Monday afternoon, it shows how the website is having trouble keeping up with the last-minute rush of people seeking coverage before the March 31 deadline. The website was down briefly earlier on Monday, as well as in the afternoon, with users trying to create accounts for the first time unable to access application and enrollment tools, the administration said. Jonathan Easley at The Hill reports.
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Biden makes final pitch for ObamaCare sign-ups
The Hill
March 31, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/health-watch/202228-biden-make-final-pitch-for-obamacare-sign-ups
Vice President Biden on Monday visited a Washington, D.C. enrollment center to encourage consumers to sign up for ObamaCare before time runs out a midnight. The vice president told people lined up at the charter school that "healthcare is complicated" but encouraged them not to get "intimidated." "Don't be intimidated by this. This is a little complicated. But guess what? Everybody is going to be better off for it," Biden said. The vice president said it was particularly important for younger people to consider enrolling in the plans.
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Doc fix could face up to four budget challenges
The Hill
March 31, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/202198-doc-fix-could-face-up-to-four-budget-challenges
Senate Republicans on Monday will have a chance to offer up to four points of order against the "doc fix" bill up today, although it's not yet clear whether any of these challenges will be made. Late today, senators will consider the doc fix bill, which would dodge a pending 24 percent cut to Medicare physician reimbursements for another year, through March 2015. The House passed this bill, H.R. 4302, last week. While the Senate is widely expected to pass the bill today, Senate Budget Committee staff has confirmed to other Senate offices that up to four budget points of order lie against the bill. If any of these points of order are raised, the Senate would need to muster 60 votes to overcome them.
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What Happens Next On The Health Law?
Kaiser Health News
March 31, 2014
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/March/31/health-law-6-things-to-watch.aspx?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+First+Edition&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12358435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--ZPGy0_dOR4JaQlsbBXDxQu63lE7SHqL0Lyua3Uhwv_1uxLrlqPUVInfnyQ5DrgmSh8vK-9X6C0WWAD7l0jhmTCOaj-w&_hsmi=12358435
Just because open enrollment for people who buy their own health insurance formally closes March 31 doesn't mean debate over the health law will take a hiatus. After more than four years of strident rhetoric, evidence about how the law is actually working is starting to trickle in. Here are seven things to watch before the next enrollment period begins in November:
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Democrats, Republicans prepare for new round of battles over health-care law
The Washington Post
March 30, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/democrats-republicans-prepare-for-new-round-of-battles-over-health-care-law/2014/03/30/2b98fbca-b756-11e3-a7c6-70cf2db17781_story.html?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+First+Edition&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12358435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-98HnhpPH3ZAae8Wnup8qukFMJWephL6CYBUwP63Bzym6wzFAkvPxvCAmp_gU7l3sdEcbBaCSPF0KyJ33Iz6XKfhj7TTA&_hsmi=12358435
The first enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act ends at midnight Monday, closing one chapter on President Obama’s landmark health-care law and paving the way for a new round of confrontations that could ultimately determine the law’s long-term prospects. Supporters face an array of political, financial and legal challenges in the coming months. Democrats and insurance industry officials are already seeking ways to blunt what may be the next big controversy: an expected increase in monthly insurance premiums next year for the health plans sold through the federal and state marketplaces.
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Health care site goes down briefly as deadline nears
USA Today
March 30, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/30/monday-health-care-enrollment-deadline-looms/7069619/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+First+Edition&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12358435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Di0-Sv-yvDAjfnKKxwN2t5bkjV7k-9-id_IkiSt4izWT0xtHfbeVogjswEc9m2B5tZhPBUiNtu5wrhFUFBQNfn010PQ&_hsmi=12358435
The federal government's health care enrollment website — HealthCare.gov — went down briefly early Monday for extended maintenance as heavy traffic was building on the last day of open enrollment for 2014. At one point, the site told visitors that it was "down for maintenance" and asked people to "please try again later." At other points, visitors were told there was heavy traffic on the system and were asked to remain online in a "virtual waiting room" until they could be connected. Administration spokesman Aaron Albright said the website undergoes "regular nightly maintenance" during off-peak hours and that period was extended Monday because of a "technical problem."
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Record volume for O-Care exchanges
The Hill
March 30, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202129-record-volume-for-o-care-exchanges
The federal health insurance marketplace saw record volume for a Saturday, and operators at the federal call centers struggled to keep up with the volume of calls as consumers flooded the ObamaCare exchanges ahead of Monday’s enrollment deadline. According to the Obama administration, HealthCare.Gov saw two million visits this weekend, while the call centers received 380,000 phone calls. On Sunday, the insurance marketplace tweeted a warning to consumers that because of a crush of calls, those interested in coverage could leave their information and an employee would contact them later.
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Obamacare hits milestone, but detours ahead for health law
Reuters
March 30, 2014
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/30/us-usa-healthcare-idUSBREA2T06P20140330?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+First+Edition&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12358435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8WNmx6inHUR5WB0A8bNnIGL7r_bFVQ1zs3gPpFtZ_BihokQHOiOa1YcG7W0pKyZmX55YDMQKEnMovmysXce2RlW8hcVw&_hsmi=12358435
President Barack Obama's embattled U.S. healthcare law, having survived a rollout marred by technology failures, reaches a milestone on Monday with the end of its first enrollment wave, and with the administration likely to come close to its goal of signing up 7 million people in private health insurance. But as the White House and its allies declare victory, major hurdles remain. And it will take years to determine whether the law will accomplish its mission of creating stable insurance markets that can help a significant number of America's nearly 50 million uninsured gain health coverage, experts say. Republicans are counting on that uncertainty to play into their strategy for the midterm congressional elections in November. Their plan: Draw on public dissatisfaction with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to help the GOP win control of the U.S. Senate and retain the party's dominance in the House of Representatives.
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GOP senator: Administration 'cooking the books' on ObamaCare enrollment
The Hill
March 30, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202119-gop-senator-administration-cooking-the-books
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said Sunday that the Obama administration was “cooking the books” on enrollment figures for ObamaCare. Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Barrasso said he wasn’t persuaded by statistics that said that more than six million people had signed up for insurance under the healthcare law. “I don’t think it means anything,” he said. “People ... want to know, once all this is said and done, what kind of insurance will those people actually have.” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who has offered legislation to make fixes to ObamaCare, said that it was a great victory for so many people to have signed up for insurance, and said he wasn’t concerned about the number of young people or uninsured signing up.
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Procrastinators: Obamacare wants you
Politico
March 29, 2014
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/obamacare-enrollment-105171.html
The White House’s final Obamacare push is in high gear Sunday, as administration officials and their allies work for a last minute signup surge. More than six million people had chosen plans by late last week, and the White House wants to get that number up by the midnight Monday deadline. “I’ve talked to a lot of people who are looking at the range of options available to them [and are] waiting until the last second to lock it in,” White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett said in an interview. “I saw a great deal of interest and curiosity.” The White House has faced technical obstacles, political opposition and confusion caused by its own shifting deadlines since signup began disastrously slowly last October. Jarrett knows the challenges.
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Latinos Wary Of All-Out Push To Sign Up For ACA
NPR
March 29, 2014
http://www.npr.org/2014/03/29/296057822/latinos-wary-of-all-out-push-to-sign-up-for-aca?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+First+Edition&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12358435&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9TpLbEgd1ze5ur_PV-PO6aC23ZL8-MNKTsXfphJUF_pBGGK7WBkHA-T_FO3HrRZX0OXsMljScCE2CBpMSuj54JOAOOiw&_hsmi=12358435
All throughout the country, supporters of the Affordable Care Act have worked to reach the uninsured, holding health fairs and putting ads on TV and radio. The push continues to get as many enrolled as possible, especially Latinos — the most uninsured group in the country. Illinois has taken its show on the road with its Road 2 Coverage statewide mobile tour. In Chicago, Jose Munoz points to Road 2 Coverage's huge RV plastered with the Illinois marketplace slogan — "Get Covered Illinois" — parked outside the field house at Humboldt Park. The neighborhood is home to many Latinos. "What we are doing is going statewide with this RV, meeting people in the community, telling them about Get Covered Illinois," Munoz says.
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White House: O-Care enrollment gaining steam in last days
The Hill
March 29, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202110-white-houses-final-push-to-tout-obamacare
The White House on Saturday said the effort to get Americans to purchase health insurance through ObamaCare was gaining “momentum,” posting pictures of lines forming at enrollment centers across the nation. In a blog post on the White House website, spokeswoman Tara McGuinness said that lines had started forming at 5 a.m. at one enrollment center in Miami. According to a White House official, supporters are holding over 550 enrollment events and activities this weekend in a last-bid push to sign up consumers for health care. “The final deadline to get covered in 2014 is in just two days, and Americans are literally lining up at grassroots events across the country to make sure they're covered,” McGuinness said. “This is what momentum looks like.”
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Can ObamaCare site handle the crush?
The Hill
March 29, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202093-can-obamacares-website-handle-the-crush
Can ObamaCare’s website handle the crush? That’s the question that will be answered in the next few days before the March 31 enrollment deadline for the healthcare exchanges. The Obama administration is expecting a spike in traffic to the healthcare site and has boosted Healthcare.gov’s capacity to be prepared for an onslaught of visitors. Some estimate as many as 500,000 people will rush to sign up for insurance in the final days of the open enrollment period. Julie Bataille, communications director for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said the administration is “expecting … a period of unprecedented demand.”
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HHS releases security risk assessment tool to help providers with HIPAA compliance
HHS
March 28, 2014
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2014pres/03/20140328a.html
A new security risk assessment (SRA) tool to help guide health care providers in small to medium sized offices conduct risk assessments of their organizations is now available from HHS. The SRA tool is the result of a collaborative effort by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The tool is designed to help practices conduct and document a risk assessment in a thorough, organized fashion at their own pace by allowing them to assess the information security risks in their organizations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. The application, available for downloading at www.HealthIT.gov/security-risk-assessment also produces a report that can be provided to auditors.
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White House touts ‘Fox News addict’ who loves ObamaCare
The Hill
March 28, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202065-white-house-touts-fox-news-addict-who-loves
The White House on Friday touted the story of a “staunch Republican” who says he’s getting the best coverage he’s ever had under ObamaCare. “I am a staunch Republican, a self-proclaimed Fox News addict, and I didn't vote for the President,” Mark Beard, a retired psychologist from North Carolina, wrote in a letter posted on the White House website. “And I'm here to tell you that ObamaCare works. I'm living proof.” Beard said he was paying $428 a month for chemotherapy treatment and was upset when he got a notice from his insurer saying his plan would be canceled. But he said the plan he obtained through HealthCare.gov is now only costing him $62 a month. “It's the best health care I have ever had,” he said.
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ObamaCare support fails to take off
The Hill
March 28, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202035-ap-poll-support-for-healthcare-law-stands-at
Support of for the healthcare law stands at 26 percent in a poll conducted by The Associated Press. The AP-GFK poll released Friday showed little change from a January AP poll that found 27 percent of the public supported the law. Opposition to the law stands at 43 percent. Opposition peaked shortly after the law's passage in 2010 at 50 percent. The AP poll finds that, while support for the law has diminished in the last few years, opposition hasn't drastically increased. That is because a large section of the public, 30 percent, now say they neither support nor oppose the law. That number stood at 14 percent when the law was first signed.
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White House 'confident' in O-Care website|
The Hill
March 28, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202027-white-house-confident-in-o-care-website
Just days before the Affordable Care Act deadline, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Friday the administration is “confident” the healthcare website will be able to handle the volume of users in the final push. Speaking to reporters as President Obama traveled to Saudi Arabia, Carney would not say how many sign-ups they are expecting in the final few days. The deadline for signing up is Monday, though the administration says people who have attempted to start an account before March 31 can still enroll in the exchanges after the deadline. Carney did not make any announcements about what events Obama would hold before the final day.
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Less Latino Support for Obama, Obamacare
NBC News
March 27, 2014
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/less-latino-support-obama-obamacare-n63841
Support for President Barack Obama and for the Affordable Care Act has gone down among the nation's Latinos, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis. An equal amount of Hispanics - 47 percent - both approve and disapprove of the health care legislation. Six months ago, 61 percent of Latinos supported the law. As for job approval ratings, 48 percent of Hispanics think the President is doing a good job, down from 63 percent in September 2013. Sixty one percent of Latinos agree with the statement that is the government’s responsibility to ensure all Americans have health coverage. Latino enrollment in Obamacare is expected to be lower than original projections, partly because of delays with the Spanish-language website and Latino-specific outreach.
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White House Says Health Care Rolls Top Goal: 6 Million
The New York Times
March 27, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/28/us/politics/white-house-says-6-million-have-enrolled-for-health-insurance.html?hpw&rref=us&action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26contentCollection%3DBusiness%2520Day%26region%3DTopBar%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26pgtype%3DBlogs%23%2Fhealth%2Blaw%2F24hours%2F&_r=0
The White House said on Thursday that more than six million people had signed up for medical insurance plans under President Obama’s health care law, exceeding the administration’s revised goal for enrollment by the Monday deadline. Demand for new policies has surged in recent days as the open enrollment period draws to a close, the White House said, with 1.5 million visits to HealthCare.gov and 430,000 calls to the program’s call centers on Wednesday alone. The enrollment figure is up from five million a week ago. Mr. Obama, who was traveling in Italy, held a conference call to thank volunteers who are helping to enroll uninsured Americans, officials said.
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HHS hits 6 million health care enrollment mark
USA Today
March 27, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/27/hhs-hits-6-million-enrollment-mark/6965229/
More than 6 million people have enrolled in the federal and state health exchanges, President Obama announced Thursday. This means the administration has met its latest goal, as projected by the Congressional Budget Office, to ensure the insurance system is sustainable. Obama made the announcement on a conference call with health care navigators and volunteers while he was traveling in Italy. He thanked them for their help. The latest milestone comes after the troubled opening of the federal exchange Oct. 1. Software problems and other issues rendered the site virtually unusable for weeks, and it took a surge of technology support to have it fixed by Nov. 30. Since then, however, enrollments have risen dramatically, particularly as the Dec. 31 and March 31 deadlines approached.
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Obamacare sign-ups now exceed 6 million
The Washington Post
March 27, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/obamacare-sign-ups-now-exceed-6-million/2014/03/27/5bcad964-b5dd-11e3-8020-b2d790b3c9e1_story.html
More than 6 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, the White House announced Thursday, reflecting a surge in enrollment after months of technical problems prevented many people from picking a plan. The administration originally expected 7 million to buy health plans during the law’s initial six-month enrollment period but revised its target to 6 million after the disastrous rollout of HealthCare.gov, the federal Web site. President Obama shared the new total in a conference call with thousands of health-care Web navigators and volunteers who are helping enroll people through state and federal marketplaces, urging them to redouble their efforts over the next few days. There were more than 1.5 million visits to the Web site and more than 430,000 calls to federal call centers Wednesday, administration officials said.
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: ObamaCare hits a milestone
The Hill
March 27, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201994-overnight-health-obamacare-hits-a-milestone
ObamaCare enrollment figures are on a sharp upward trajectory, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing Thursday that 6 million people have enrolled with four days to go before the March 31 deadline. That means 1 million people have enrolled in the last 10 days, and 1.8 million have enrolled so far in March. That nearly equals the roughly 2 million who enrolled in January and February combined. President Obama announced the milestone on a conference call from Italy with navigators and volunteers.
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Reid sets up ‘doc fix’ vote for Monday
The Hill
March 27, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/201995-reid-sets-up-doc-fix-vote-for-monday
The Senate won’t vote on a bill that prevents a pending cut to Medicare physician rates until the day of the deadline. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) set up a vote on the “doc fix” for Monday. For the fix to be approved, it will have to get 60 votes. Earlier Thursday, the House approved a doc fix bill by voice vote. The bill would prevent a 24 percent cut to those rates set to hit on April 1 without congressional action. Reid said he would have preferred to pass a full repeal of the Medicare sustainability growth rate (SGR) pay-for rather than a 13-month extension that isn’t paid for.
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Study: $10B in O-Care subsidies so far
The Hill
March 27, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201937-study-consumers-have-qualified-for-10-billion
About 3.5 million people have qualified for $10 billion in premium tax credits under ObamaCare so far, a new study found. A report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation said that 83 percent of the 4.2 million people who had selected a plan as of March 1 had qualified for subsidies, which average nearly $3,000 per person. Still, this is only a small percentage of those who could be eligible for the tax credits. The report found that only 21 percent of Americans who meet income eligibility requirements have claimed the subsidies. The report found that the bulk of the subsidies are going to consumers in states like California, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and New York, where exchange enrollment has outpaced other states.
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House approves 'doc fix' in voice vote
The Hill
March 27, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/votes/201932-house-approves-doc-fix-in-voice-vote
The House on Thursday approved legislation by voice vote that prevents a pending cut to Medicare physician rates for another year. The move, which dodges a 24 percent cut to those rates set to hit on April 1 without congressional action, came after a lengthy delay in which the bill's passage appeared in doubt. House passage is essentially a take-it-or-leave-it offer to the Senate, which now must decide how to react with just days left before the cut takes effect. House Republicans called the bill up under a suspension of House rules, which meant a two-thirds majority was needed for passage, and that 50 to 60 Democrats had to support it. That led to worries all day that the House would not be able to pass it due to Democratic opposition.
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Vulnerable Dems push ObamaCare changes
The Hill
March 27, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201918-senate-dems-propose-obamacare-changes
Six Senate Democrats up for reelection or hailing from red states proposed legislation on Thursday aimed at changing parts of the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), whom Republicans view as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate, is leading the effort, and is joined by Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), both of whom are facing difficult reelection races in 2014. Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Angus King (I-Maine) are also on board with the legislation. Those three faced tough challenges in 2012 and come from states that are either conservative-leaning or have strong independent streaks. In a statement, Landrieu made clear that she stands behind ObamaCare, but said it’s “not perfect,” and that the proposals would address concerns she’s heard from constituents.
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Friction grows over O-Care delay
The Hill
March 26, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201859-overnight-health
The health insurance industry can't wait for ObamaCare's first enrollment season to be over so that it can have a break from dealing with the White House, sources on K Street say. Insurers feel that the administration has taken advantage of them by making repeated delays and changes to the law, even as they have gone above and beyond the call of duty to fix problems with the rollout. The administration is nursing grievances as well, feeling insurers don’t have the best interests of consumers at heart and should temper their criticism as they do more to make the law work. The tensions between insurers and the White House were described to The Hill by five healthcare lobbyists, both Republican and Democrat, who requested anonymity to speak freely.
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Docs to House members: Oppose payment patch
The Hill
March 26, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicare/201915-doubts-rising-about-doc-fix-vote
House legislation to prevent a looming 24-percent pay cut to Medicare doctors appeared in jeopardy of being voted down on Thursday after major physician groups came out against it. The turmoil strains an agreement between House and Senate leaders to pass a one-year “doc fix” this week in the absence of agreement about how to pay to permanently prevent the cuts. A wide coalition of medical groups voiced “strong opposition” to the one-year bill on Thursday, backing up an earlier call by the American Medical Association (AMA) for lawmakers to vote against the measure. “Instead of reforming the Medicare physician payment system, Congress seems intent on imposing yet another round of arbitrary provider payment reductions to maintain a corrosive policy that essentially every member of Congress says should be scrapped,” the groups wrote in a letter to House leaders.
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Administration plays it loose with latest ObamaCare change
The Hill
March 26, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/201845-administration-plays-it-loose-with-latest-obamacare-change
The Obama administration left itself plenty of leeway with its latest unilateral change to ObamaCare. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) said this week it would extend the March 31 open enrollment deadline for people who say they tried to sign up for insurance coverage on the new exchanges but failed to complete the process on time. On a Wednesday conference call with reporters, CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille said applicants need only sign an “attestation” that they tried to obtain coverage before the deadline or that they suffered one of the extenuating circumstances the administration says qualifies a person for an extension.
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House GOP readies year-long 'doc fix'
The Hill
March 26, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/healthcare/201770-gop-tees-up-year-long-doc-fix-patch
House Republican leaders are preparing to pass a new "doc fix" bill that would prevent a 24 percent cut in reimbursements to physicians under Medicare. Republicans plan to bring up the bill this week to prevent the cut, which is set to happen on April 1. According to the 121-page bill posted on the House Clerk's website late Tuesday night, the House will pass a year-long extension, through the end of March 2015. The bill also extends several related healthcare measures until the end of March 2015. Congress routinely dodges planned cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates that were first established in 1997. The cuts are required by the so-called sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Earlier this month, the House passed a "doc fix" bill that would permanently eliminate the threat of cuts to doctor reimbursements. The permanent fix was paid for by a 5-year delay in ObamaCare's individual mandate. But that bill ran into stiff Democratic opposition.
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Poll: Support for ObamaCare on the rise
The Hill
March 26, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201703-poll-support-for-obamacare-on-the-rise
Most voters still view ObamaCare negatively, but the margin has narrowed considerably since the beginning of the year, a new poll found. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released on Wednesday, 46 percent said they have an unfavorable view of the healthcare law, against 38 percent who have a favorable view. That’s an 8-point improvement over Kaiser's January poll, when 50 percent had a negative view and 34 percent had a positive view of the healthcare law. It’s a 4-point improvement over February, when the margin was 47 percent to 35 percent. The first-ever open enrollment period closes at the end of the month, and after an extremely rocky start, the Obama administration hopes to have momentum coming out of March.
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U.S. Announces Further Exemptions for Insurance Enrollment Deadline
The New York Times
March 26, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201703-poll-support-for-obamacare-on-the-rise
Most voters still view ObamaCare negatively, but the margin has narrowed considerably since the beginning of the year, a new poll found. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released on Wednesday, 46 percent said they have an unfavorable view of the healthcare law, against 38 percent who have a favorable view. That’s an 8-point improvement over Kaiser's January poll, when 50 percent had a negative view and 34 percent had a positive view of the healthcare law. It’s a 4-point improvement over February, when the margin was 47 percent to 35 percent. The first-ever open enrollment period closes at the end of the month, and after an extremely rocky start, the Obama administration hopes to have momentum coming out of March.
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Everything we know about how Obamacare’s March 31 deadline works
The Washington Post
March 26, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/26/everything-we-know-about-how-obamacares-march-31-deadline-works/
Federal health officials say March 31 is still the deadline for enrolling in health coverage and that they're only making sure anyone who tried to apply by the deadline can get coverage. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had offered accommodations for previous monthly enrollment deadlines, so it's not surprising that the agency is doing this again. The Obama administration has been adamant that the latest enrollment announcement isn't a deadline extension. The big question, though, is how does the administration make sure people who say they tried to enroll before March 31 actually made that effort? As my colleague Amy Goldstein reported last night, CMS is going with the honor system. People submitting their applications on HealthCare.gov or through a call center after March 31 "attest" that they had trouble enrolling before the deadline.
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Analysts say 6 million health care enrollees in sight
USA Today
March 26, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/26/experts-predict-whether-administration-will-hit-exchange-enrollment-mark/6909081/
The government will meet — and possibly exceed — its goal of 6 million people enrolled in insurance through the federal and state health exchanges by the March 31 deadline, analysts said Wednesday. "It's clear that March is going to be better than February," said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health, a health care consulting firm. "They could do something over six." On Tuesday, 1.2 million people visited HealthCare.gov, and the website was able to handle the volume, said Julie Bataille, communication director for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She said the government expected "unprecedented demand," and the website could handle as many as 100,000 people at a time.
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Obama administration will allow more time to enroll in health care on federal marketplace
The Washington Post
March 25, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/obama-administration-will-allow-more-time-to-enroll-in-health-care-on-federal-marketplace/2014/03/25/d0458338-b449-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html
The Obama administration has decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline. Federal officials confirmed Tuesday evening that all consumers who have begun to apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, but who do not finish by Monday, will have until about mid-April to ask for an extension. Under the new rules, people will be able to qualify for an extension by checking a blue box on HealthCare.gov to indicate that they tried to enroll before the deadline. This method will rely on an honor system; the government will not try to determine whether the person is telling the truth.
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U.S. to Extend Sign-Up Period For Insurance
The New York Times
March 25, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/us/politics/obama-administration-extends-health-enrollment-for-some.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140325&nlid=58462464&tntemail0=y&_r=0
With less than a week left for people to sign up for health insurance, the Obama administration said Tuesday that it would allow more time for those who had tried to apply but were blocked by technical problems with the federal exchange. Several states running their own exchanges, including Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have taken similar steps in the last two weeks. Open enrollment was scheduled to end on Monday for all Americans. The White House had previously insisted that the deadline was firm and would not be extended.
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A brief history of Obamacare delays
Politico
March 25, 2014
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/obamacare-affordable-care-act-105036.html?hp=f2
Did anyone really doubt that the final Obamacare enrollment deadline would slip, too? It’s not like the Obama administration is setting a new precedent with its latest move — giving customers more time to enroll after next Monday’s deadline if they’re already in line. In reality, the administration is just continuing a long pattern of delays. They’re all designed to show flexibility and help the law work better, but they also fuel a public perception that Obamacare deadlines never really mean anything. The administration already went through the same exercise in December, cutting people some slack if they were stuck in cybertraffic by the deadline for Jan. 1 coverage. Then and now, administration officials argued that it’s only fair to give people extra time if they were held up by the volume of last-minute sign-ups.
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ObamaCare deadline extended for 'special circumstances and complex cases'
The Hill
March 25, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201757-obama-administration-pushes-back-open
The Obama administration will extend the March 31 open enrollment deadline for people who say they tried to sign-up for coverage on the new healthcare exchanges but failed to complete the process on time. “Open enrollment ends March 31,” Health and Human Services spokeswoman Joanne Peters told The Hill in an email Tuesday evening. “We are experiencing a surge in demand and are making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment – either online or over the phone.”
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: GOP again accuses Sebelius of misleading O-Care testimony
The Hill
March 25, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201724-overnight-health-gop-again-accuses-sebelius-of
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday saying she had been “evasive and perhaps misleading” in her testimony before the committee earlier this month. Administration officials have repeatedly said they’re not able to break down enrollees by who has made a payment because they only have access to information about those selecting plans on the HealthCare.gov website, as consumers are expected to pay the insurers directly after enrolling.
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High court split on birth-control mandate
The Hill
March 25, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/healthcare/201651-court-fractured-on-o-cares-birth-control
The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided Tuesday over an ObamaCare mandate that requires employers to offer birth-control in worker health plans, leaving in limbo a key provision of the embattled healthcare law. The case, ObamaCare’s second foray before the high court, pits the government against a pair of for-profit companies who claim they should be exempt from parts of the mandate because of religious objections to certain forms of birth control. The justices, in taking up the challenge, must grapple both with the limits of a corporation’s religious freedom and a woman’s right to reproductive health services under the president’s signature legislative achievement.
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House to move bill to erode mandate?
The Hill
March 25, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201681-house-to-move-bill-to-erode-birth-control
The Republican author of a bill to dramatically weaken ObamaCare's birth-control mandate hinted Tuesday that the legislation could see a floor vote in the coming months. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), who has positive ties to leadership, said she has personal assurances from party chiefs that they are "committed" to her bill. While this does not guarantee a floor vote, Black suggested that the measure has a good chance to move out of committee soon, now that it has nearly 200 cosponsors. "We are hopeful it will move in the committee now that we have that many supporters of the bill," Black told reporters. "I have that personally from our leadership that they are committed to this bill."
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GOP lawmakers slam birth-control mandate
The Hill
March 25, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201668-gop-lawmakers-slam-birth-control-mandate
Republican lawmakers slammed ObamaCare's birth-control mandate as an unprecedented attack on religious freedom Tuesday after the Supreme Court appeared divided in oral arguments. A group of eight GOP House members, led by four women, said the Obama administration is "going after" religious business owners and organizations for beliefs that teach against certain forms of birth control. "Hopefully the Supreme Court joins with us in recognizing that [religious expression] is a right that can't be trampled on by any president," said Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (La.) at a press conference.
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Study: States refusing Medicaid expansion would benefit the most
The Hill
March 25, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201527-study-states-refusing-medicaid-expansion-would
There are more than 15 million uninsured or underinsured people living below the poverty line in the 23 states that have refused to expand Medicaid under ObamaCare, according to a new study by The Commonwealth Fund. Many of these states have among the highest rates of uninsured or underinsured people in the country, the study found. “Without Medicaid expansion, this vulnerable group will remain at high risk for access, health, and financial problems,” the study says. In Texas, nearly 40 percent are uninsured or underinsured. Florida, Idaho, Montana, Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, Georgia and North Carolina also rank near the top of the list of uninsured or underinsured.
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Virginia governor, lawmakers fail to reach Medicaid deal
Reuters
March 24, 2014
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/24/us-usa-virginia-politics-idUSBREA2N11020140324
Virginia's Democratic governor, Terry McAuliffe, and the state's Republican-dominated House of Delegates on Monday failed to reach an agreement over Medicaid expansion during the first day of a special session called in hopes of reaching a budget deal. The impasse over Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor, is holding up passage of a two-year, $96 billion budget. If the two sides fail to reach a deal by July 1, the state government could grind to a halt. Legislators deadlocked over the budget during a 60-day regular session that ended March 8. McAuliffe, a former Democratic Party fundraiser, proposed on Monday a two-year pilot expansion of Medicaid, which could be terminated if it is unsuccessful, but the proposal was rejected by the House Appropriations Committee.
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Insurers Push to Enroll People as Health Care Deadline Nears
The New York times
March 24, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/business/deadline-nearing-health-insurers-make-a-final-push-to-sign-people-up.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26contentCollection%3DHealth%26region%3DTopBar%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26pgtype%3DBlogs%23%2Fhealth%2Blaw%2F24hours%2F&_r=0
It’s last call for health insurance. A new insurance company in Colorado dispatched a throng of models dressed as cocktail waitresses onto the streets in recent days, offering nonalcoholic shots of juice to lunch-hour crowds in Denver. The models, in form-fitting dresses and high heels, handed out fliers reminding people of the fast-approaching March 31 deadline to sign up for health care coverage this year under the federal law. In Philadelphia, Independence Blue Cross held an enroll-a-thon that involved a 16-hour marketing blitz on a local television station during daytime talk shows; a tractor-trailer, the Independence Express, parked in a shopping center parking lot in Bala Cynwyd; and an event at Love Park, featuring free coffee, near City Hall.
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McAuliffe offers new budget, but House lawmakers aren’t buying
The Washington Post
March 24, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/mcauliffe-offers-new-budget-but-house-lawmakers-arent-buying/2014/03/24/210e269c-b352-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html
Gov. Terry McAuliffe tried to shake up Virginia’s deadlocked Medicaid debate Monday by proposing a new budget that would expand the health-care program and shower a projected $225 million in related savings on teachers, state employees, pre-kindergarten programs and other Democratic priorities. The governor’s proposal was a nonstarter in the Republican-dominated House, whose Appropriations Committee rejected the offer in favor of a spending plan that does not expand Medicaid under the federal health-care law known informally as Obamacare.
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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: High court to weigh limits of religious liberty in ObamaCare case
The Hill
March 24, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201580-overnight-health-high-court-to-weigh-limits-of
President Obama’s signature healthcare law is headed back to the Supreme Court in a high-stakes case that could redefine the limits of religious freedom in the United States. The high court on Tuesday will hear challenges to ObamaCare’s contentious birth control mandate, which requires companies to offer contraceptive services to workers as part of their insurance coverage. If successful, the challenge could peel away a significant portion of the mandate, potentially affecting preventive healthcare coverage for millions of women and striking a major blow to the law itself.
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Boehner urges Supreme Court to reverse contraception mandate
The Hill
March 24, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201577-boehner-calls-on-scotus-to-reverse-o-care
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called ObamaCare's birth control mandate a "terrible burden" on religious Americans and urged the Supreme Court to reverse it on the eve of oral arguments Monday. "This case concerns every American who cherishes that first line in the Bill of Rights where it states our government will never come between us and our faith," Boehner said in a statement Monday. "Religious freedom is not for some people under some circumstances; it is for one and all … I hope that, after due consideration, the court will reverse this attack on religious liberty." The call reflects broad opposition to the birth control policy among House Republicans, who voted in September 2013 to allow employers to opt out of providing healthcare coverage they find morally objectionable.
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Poor understanding of O-Care before Oct. 1, poll finds
The Hill
March 24, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201574-poor-understanding-of-o-care-before-oct-1-poll
A poll conducted last fall and released Monday reveals widespread unfamiliarity with the healthcare law before enrollment began on Oct. 1. The survey, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underscores the serious challenge that faced the Obama administration as it began to promote ObamaCare to the public. Half of respondents in the September 2013 survey did not recognize ObamaCare's system for connecting the uninsured with private health plans. The law's marketplaces or "exchanges" are its central feature. Familiarity with the exchanges was even smaller among the uninsured, with only about one in three professing to know about the new system one month before its rollout.
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Prescription drugs: Harder to get in O-Care?
The Hill
March 24, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201521-analysis-tougher-to-access-drugs-on-some-o
ObamaCare participants are twice as likely to face administrative barriers to using certain prescription drugs as people who receive health coverage through an employer, according to a new analysis. The research from consulting firm Avalere Health points to a little-known facet of policies on the ObamaCare exchanges known as "utilization management controls." The controls allow insurance companies to limit access to certain medications to try and control costs and prevent abuse. People who enroll in ObamaCare plans are likely to encounter the hurdles if they're prescribed brand-name cancer or mental health drugs, Avalere found. At least 51 percent of brand-name mental health meds come with special controls on the exchanges, compared with only 11 percent on the employer-based market, the analysis found.
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Week ahead: Crunch time for ObamaCare
The Hill
March 24, 2014
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/201505-week-ahead-crunch-time-for-obamacare
With just days left in the enrollment period, the Obama administration is pulling out all the stops to encourage people to sign up for insurance through ObamaCare. Supporters of the law are hoping that young, healthy people rush into the marketplaces before March 31. Higher participation from that low-cost demographic would strengthen the risk pools and help prevent dramatic price hikes in 2015. The stakes are high for the White House, federal health officials and congressional Democrats, not least because Republicans are hoping the law's problems will carry them to victory in November’s elections. The administration has enlisted leading athletes to promote ObamaCare and is pouring considerable resources into advertisements and media appearances related to March Madness. While President Obama will be out of the country for most of the week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will continue her enrollment tour with a stop on Monday in Montclair, N.J.
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