Obama launches campaign to boost landmark healthcare program
Reuters
May 10, 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/10/us-usa-obama-healthcare-idUSBRE9490UP20130510
President Barack Obama launched a campaign to promote his signature 2010 healthcare overhaul on Friday in the face of harsh criticism from congressional Republicans who say the program will raise costs and hurt hiring. "If you're one of the tens of millions who don't have health insurance, beginning this fall you'll finally be able to compare and buy quality, affordable private plans that work for you," he said at an event at the White House.
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Women’s health plays central role in renewed Obamacare pitch
MSNBC
May 10, 2013
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/05/10/womens-health-plays-central-role-in-renewed-obamacare-pitch/
President Obama plans to put the focus back on health care Friday afternoon, specifically in how his landmark legislation—the Affordable Care Act—helps women. He’ll deliver a speech surrounded by women and families who are already benefiting from the new law. “This is already working, we did this health care bill because health care was 17 -18%  of GDP and we could not afford to let that go on and we were not getting the best health care for the money we were spending,” Rep. Louise Slaughter, a New York Democrat, said on Jansing & Co.
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CCIIO: State-run exchanges can send individuals to feds
Life Health Pro
May 10, 2013
http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/05/10/cciio-state-run-exchanges-can-send-individuals-to
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) wants to let Utah keep running its health insurance exchange (HIX) for small employers and have HHS provide exchange services for individuals. Gary Cohen, the director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), has described the department's views on the Utah exchange system in a letter to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, R.
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After five years, health care marketplace set to start selling plans
The Florida Times-Union
May 10, 2013
http://jacksonville.com/news/2013-05-10/story/after-five-years-health-care-marketplace-set-start-selling-plans
After sitting dormant for five years, a taxpayer-funded online health care marketplace started by the Legislature is on the verge of selling its first policy.
State Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, helped create the program — Florida Health Choices — in 2008 as a member of the House, but it has not yet sold a policy.
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Kathleen Sebelius pitches health industry on Obamacare outreach
Politico
May 10, 2013
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/kathleen-sebelius-health-industry-obamacare-outreach-91203.html?hp=l6
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has stepped up her pitch to health law stakeholders to chip in on Obamacare outreach and enrollment efforts, administration officials confirmed Friday.
“Part of our mission is to help uninsured Americans take advantage of new, quality, affordable insurance options that are coming thanks to the law,” said HHS spokesman Jason Young. “For the last several months, the secretary has been working with a full range of stakeholders who share in the mission of getting Americans the help they need and deserve. We have always worked with outside groups, and the efforts now ramping up are just one more part of that work.” Congress has repeatedly turned down HHS funding requests for implementation and outreach, meaning the agency has been scrambling for funds.
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Obama's day: Health care
USA Today
May 10, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/05/10/obama-heath-care-law-mothers-day/2149401/
President Obama turns his attention back Friday to one of his signature issues, health care.  A White House event this afternoon ties implementation of the massive 2010 health care law to Mother's Day on Sunday. Obama will discuss the benefits of the law for women and also ask mothers to encourage young people to sign up when insurance exchanges go on line in October.
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Health Law Is Defended With Vigor by President
The New York Times
May 10, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/us/politics/obama-to-makes-new-pitch-on-health-care-law.html?_r=0
President Obama came out fighting in defense of his health care law on Friday, saying that he was “110 percent committed” to delivering its benefits on schedule, and that consumers should not be bamboozled by critics spreading misinformation about the law. Evoking the spirit of Mother’s Day, Mr. Obama said the law would be particularly beneficial to women, including many in the audience, who whooped and cheered as the president spoke at an event in the East Room of the White House.
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KY Medicaid eligibility to be expanded
Health Leaders Media
May 10, 2013
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/HEP-292036/KY-Medicaid-eligibility-to-be-expanded
Eligibility for Kentucky's Medicaid program is to be expanded starting in 2014. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear made the announcement Thursday during a news conference in Frankfort. On his official Twitter account, @GovSteveBeshear, Beshear said the move will provide health care coverage for more than 300,000 Kentuckians who are uninsured. Beshear has weighed the Medicaid expansion since the passage of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Under the act, Medicaid eligibility is supposed to be expanded to individuals who are at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Currently, there is no federal requirement that states provide coverage to individuals unless they have dependent children or are pregnant.
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Rep. John Lewis Proposes to Delay DSH Cuts
Becker’s Hospital Review
May 10, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/racs-/-icd-9-/-icd-10/rep-john-lewis-proposes-to-delay-dsh-cuts.html
Yesterday, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) proposed the DSH Reduction Relief Act, which would delay Medicare and Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment cuts until the government's 2016 fiscal year, according to an AHA News Now report.  Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, DSH payments are expected to be reduced by more than $64 billion through 2019, according to Moody's Investors Service. More specifically, Medicaid DSH payments will be cut 50 percent by 2019 (totaling $14.1 billion), while Medicare DSH payments will be axed 75 percent (totaling $49.9 billion). The cuts begin this October.
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Who Do You Want To Cut Medicare, Politicians Or Technocrats?
Forbes
May 10, 2013
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insidepatientfinance/2013/05/10/who-do-you-want-to-cut-medicare-politicians-or-technocrats/
It’s a battle for the soul of American healthcare. On one shoulder is the politician, on the other is the technocrat. Which one has the horns and which one the halo? The Republicans in Congress will have you believe that the technocrats are the ones with the pitchfork, at least if those technocrats are members of the yet-to-be-appointed Independent Payment Advisory Board, IPAB. The nonexistent panel entered into the political zeitgeist thanks to Sarah Palin who labeled it a “death panel” during the debates over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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Kentucky governor announces Medicaid expansion under Obamacare
Chicago Tribune
May 9, 2013
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-healthcare-kentuckybre94817r-20130509,0,1225536.story
Kentucky Democratic Governor Steve Beshear said on Thursday he will expand Medicaid coverage under President Barack Obama's health care reform law, a move that will cut the state's uninsured population almost in half. The expansion will extend coverage to adults earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line, providing public health assistance to more than 300,000 people.
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California Considers Expanding Nurse Practitioners' Scope of Care
Becker’s Hospital Review
May 9, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/california-considers-expanding-nurse-practitioners-scope-of-care.html
The bill, SB 491, would allow nurse practitioners in the state to practice independently from physicians. The change would help healthcare providers meet the expected increase in demand after millions of Americans receive health insurance in 2014 due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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California Postpones Dual Eligible Coordinated Care Demonstration
Becker’s Clinical Quality & Infection Control
May 9, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/california-postpones-dual-eligible-coordinated-care-demonstration.html
The California Department of Health Care Services announced it is pushing back the start date of its coordinated care program for dual eligibles to no earlier than January 2014.  On March 27, DHCS and CMS signed a duals demonstration memorandum of understanding to implement a care coordination program for beneficiaries in eight California counties eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. The program, called Cal MediConnect, is a three-year demonstration to coordinate medical, social and mental health services for seniors and people with disabilities. The program is part of California's larger Coordinated Care Initiative.
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Spending on prescription drugs drops as people 'ration' their health care
AP/NJ.com
May 9, 2013
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2013/05/spending_on_prescription_drugs.html
Spending on prescription medicines in the U.S. fell for the first time in decades last year, slipping as cash-strapped consumers continued to cut back on use of health care services. Patients also benefited from a surge of new, inexpensive generic versions of widely used drugs for chronic conditions like high cholesterol, according to a new report.
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John Boehner: Health care law repeal vote is for new lawmakers
Politico
May 9, 2013
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/john-boehner-repeal-vote-is-for-new-lawmakers-91131.html
House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that next week’s vote to repeal the health reform law is being held to provide new lawmakers a chance to vote on it.  “We’ve got 70 new members who have not had an opportunity to vote on the president’s health care law,” Boehner said. “Frankly they’ve been asking for an opportunity to vote on it.”
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U.S. unveils $150 million healthcare enrollment initiative
Reuters
May 9, 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/09/us-usa-healthcare-enrollment-idUSBRE94403Y20130509
The Obama administration said on Thursday it is making $150 million available to community health centers to enroll uninsured Americans in healthcare coverage under President Barack Obama's reform law.
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Execs' cushy health care could trigger fines
USA Today
May 9, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/05/08/execs-health-care-plans/2145301/
Many executives have long enjoyed perks such as free health care and better health benefits for themselves and their families. But under a little noticed anti-discrimination provision in the federal health law, such advantages could soon trigger fines of up to $500,000. Employers "should be more concerned about this than anything else" in the law, because many are in violation, and the penalties can be stiff, said Jay Starkman, chief executive of Engage PEO in St. Petersburg, Fla., which offers human resources services and advises clients on the health law.
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CMS data show wide variation in hospital billing
Modern Healthcare
May 8, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305089960/cms-data-show-wide-variation-in-hospital-billing?utm_source=frontpage&utm_medium=newsitem309&utm_campaign=carousel-traffic
The CMS released data showing U.S. hospitals charge widely varying amounts for the same services and also illustrating the significant variation in how much Medicare pays for those services. The database, posted on the CMS website, includes hospital charges for 100 most frequently billed discharges by the more than 3,000 hospitals reimbursed under the inpatient prospective payment system. The numbers reflect $66.7 billion in Medicare spending during fiscal 2011 and represent 7 million discharges, or 60% of the total Medicare IPPS discharges that year.
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HHS to providers: Check list of excluded Medicare personnel
Modern Healthcare
May 8, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305079942/hhs-to-providers-check-list-of-excluded-medicare-personnel
HHS maintains a list of 51,588 people who are categorically excluded from providing even indirect care to Medicare patients, and new guidelines that will be published today recommend healthcare providers check their personnel rosters against the list once a month. That obligation extends to temporary nurses and doctors who work under contract from staffing firms. And it might not hurt to print out screen shots proving that the list was checked, the new guidance says.
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In Medicaid debate, Ohio healthcare chiefs tout reforms, innovations, savings (Photos)
Examiner
May 8, 2013
http://www.examiner.com/article/in-medicaid-debate-ohio-healthcare-chiefs-tout-reforms-innovations-savings
Ohio Governor John R. Kasich's Director of Office of Health Transformation [OHT], Greg Moody, and Ohio Medicaid Director John McCarthy acted as a skilled tag team Tuesday, when they alternated time at the podium presenting a fact-filled package of Medicaid system improvement updates to the bi-partisan Healthier Ohio Working Group of the Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Committee.
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CMS Releases Hospital Price Ranges of 100 Common Treatments
Health Data Management
May 8, 2013
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/medicare-hospital-price-transparency-claims-data-released-46120-1.html
Pricing by hospitals across the nation for treating the 100 most common Medicare inpatient stays now is publicly available from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS, which is trying to use its claims data to bring transparency to hospital pricing, also has announced a funding opportunity totaling $87 million to help states enhance their rate review programs and extend price transparency.
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CMS releases hospital price-comparison data
Fierce Health Finance
May 8, 2013
http://www.fiercehealthfinance.com/story/cms-releases-hospital-price-comparison-data/2013-05-08
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today for the first time released data comparing average hospital charges for the 100 most common Medicare claims, illustrating wide variations not just across regions but within cities. "Currently, consumers don't know what a hospital is charging them or their insurance company for a given procedure, like a knee replacement, or how much of a price difference there is at different hospitals, even within the same city," U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an announcement. "This data and new data centers will help fill that gap."
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Obama to promote jobs, health care plan
USA Today
May 8, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/05/08/obama-austin-jobs-tours-health-care/2144489/
President Obama will spend the rest of the week on two issues that largely define his years in office: jobs and health care. Obama will board Air Force One on Thursday for a flight to Austin, where he will kick off a series of "Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tours" designed to push his budget plans and criticize congressional Republicans for inaction on the economy.
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CMS creates timeline for quality reporting initiatives
EHR Intelligence
May 8, 2013
http://ehrintelligence.com/2013/05/08/cms-creates-timeline-for-quality-reporting-initiatives/
In order to reduce the burden of multiple quality reporting initiatives, CMS is working to align quality measurement across programs. As part of the eHealth initiative, CMS has created a timeline of quality measurement alignment for both eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals. This timeline, provided in an email update, includes upcoming activities that CMS is taking or that EPs and eligible hospitals can take to prepare for this alignment.
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Health Care, Economy Discussed at Latest Obama Dinner
The Wall Street Journal
May 8, 2013
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/05/08/health-care-economy-discussed-at-latest-obama-dinner/?mod=wsj_streaming_stream
Continuing his courtship of Congress, President Barack Obama had dinner with a small group of senior House Democrats on Wednesday night – a shift of focus for a White House that has been concentrating on the Senate as the best venue for bipartisan compromise. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and her top lieutenants attended the dinner at the Jefferson Hotel in downtown Washington. It was the latest in a series of social events designed for Mr. Obama to cultivate policy allies and improve his relationship with Congress, which critics say has suffered from his distaste for political schmoozing.
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Constitutional amendment blocking federal healthcare employer mandate approved by Louisiana House panel
The Times-Picayune
May 8, 2013
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/house_health_committee_passes.html
A bill proposing a constitutional amendment to protect any employer or health provider from being required to participate in the federally mandated health-care system passed out of the House Committee on Health and Welfare on Wednesday.  House Bill 429 by Rep. Paul Hollis, R-Covington, would prohibit employers from being penalized if they choose not to participate in a health-care plan. Under the Affordable Care Act, sometimes known as Obamacare, employers will be required to provide their employees with health insurance options or face a fine if they choose not to.
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Navigating Health Care and Information -- Health Care Journalists Share Insights for Consumers (Part 1)
The Huffington Post
May 8, 2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-ficarra/health-care-information_b_3224154.html
This is a two-part post. Part one provides insights from health care journalists to help consumers understand health news, and part two shares insights to help consumers navigate through health care. With more consumers turning to the Internet to search for health information, the process can be labor intensive, leaving consumers confused and wondering if the information presented is accurate or just hype. Additionally, mainstream media, from print to airwaves, in attempts to be first with the news, may quickly broadcast or print information that later gets retracted. Some health news outlets may promise "cures" or "miracles" or create a frenzy of fear. Navigating health care can be confusing and overwhelming. I asked fellow health care journalists from the Association of Health Care Journalists to weigh in on the topic to provide advice for consumers and patients to navigate health care and information.
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Eric Cantor sets repeal vote on health care law for next week
Politico
May 8, 2013
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/cantor-health-care-law-repeal-vote-91069.html
The House will vote next week on a full repeal of the health law.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor just tweeted: “It just keeps getting worse. I am scheduling a vote for next week on the full repeal of #Obamacare.” It will be the first vote against all or part of the law this year. The House had voted more than 30 times on repealing all or parts of the law since it passed in March 2010, but many members — especially first-year lawmakers — were pushing leadership to get a vote on the record in 2013.
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Hospitals lose $8.3 billion using old technology
USA Today
May 8, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/cybertruth/2013/05/07/healthcare-technology-cybersecurity-privacy-patient-care/2142739/
U.S. physicians and hospitals are in the digital dark ages when it comes to using the latest mobile devices and Internet services to deliver patient care. As a result, U.S. hospitals are absorbing an estimated $8.3 billion annual hit in lost productivity and increased patient discharge times, according to a Ponemon Institute survey of 577 health care professionals, released Tuesday to CyberTruth.
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Lawmakers Mull SGR Options
Health Leaders Media
May 8, 2013
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/HEP-291942/Lawmakers-Mull-SGR-Options
Bipartisan consensus for repeal of Medicare's sustainable growth rate appears solid, but there is no clear way forward. The latest meeting between lawmakers and stakeholders gives voice to the wide-ranging concerns of physicians. The House Ways and Means subcommittee on Health spent two hours Tuesday exchanging ideas about reforming Medicare's sustainable growth rate with a group of influential healthcare stakeholders. That the SGR needs the boot was a foregone conclusion among both the assembled panelists and the House members. In his opening comments, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), committee chair, noted that participants in two previous SGR hearings held recently supported the repeal of SGR. "I couldn't agree more," he said. "The SGR is the major contributor to an unhealthy system and it needs to change this year."
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Obamacare Heading for a "Train Wreck"
Townhall
May 7, 2013
http://townhall.com/columnists/phyllisschlafly/2013/05/07/obamacare-heading-for-a-train-wreck-n1588840
Obamacare was supposed to be a big success by now, according to predictions made by liberals who railroaded it through Congress in 2010. Instead, as admitted by one of its leading architects, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, it's heading for a "train wreck" later this year. Baucus' apt metaphor is being echoed by other Democrats because it is so obviously true. Harry Reid said, "I agree with him." Sen. Jay Rockefeller described it as "so complicated" that it's "beyond comprehension." Henry Chao, the government's chief technical officer in charge of implementing the exchanges, said, "Let's just make sure it's not a Third World experience."
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Illinois offers $28 million for exchange "health guides"
Life Health Pro
May 7, 2013
http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/05/07/illinois-offers-28-million-for-exchange-health-gui?t=employee-benefits
Illinois is taking applications for $28 million in grants for a Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) exchange "in-person counselor" program. The grants are supposed to go to "legally recognized organizational entities" that want to help individuals sign up for coverage through the new PPACA exchanges, or Web-based health insurance supermarkets, which are supposed to start enrolling consumers Oct. 1.
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Medicaid expansion advocates to host hearings
Daily Journal
May 7, 2013
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/22489512/article-Medicaid-expansion-advocates-to-host-hearings?instance=home_news_bullets
Mississippi Health Care Access, a coalition that includes medical providers, religious groups and others interested in the state’s health care issues, will host a public hearing Thursday night in Tupelo on Medicaid expansion. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Link Centre on West Main in Tupelo. A similar meeting will be held at the same time at the Oxford Conference Center on Ed Perry Boulevard.
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Q&A: Why healthcare services lag behind digitally
USA Today
May 7, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/cybertruth/2013/05/07/meaningful-use-electronic-medical-records/2142811/
Personal pagers and analog fax machines are still used widely in clinics and hospitals across America. And it's not unusual for a patient to have to act as his or her own courier in hand delivering records while visiting different specialists. CyberTruth asked Jeremy Delinsky, chief technology officer at athenahealth, an electronic medical records systems supplier, for a dose of clarity.
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Cuts to Hospital Medicare Rates May Not Shift Costs to Private Insurers, Study Says
Becker’s Hospital Review
May 7, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/racs-/-icd-9-/-icd-10/cuts-to-hospital-medicare-rates-may-not-shift-costs-to-private-insurers-study-says.html
In the healthcare finance world, it's conventional wisdom to believe lower Medicare payment rates to hospitals lead to higher rates, or cost-shifting, to private health insurers, but according to a May article in Health Affairs, that may not be the case.  Chapin White, PhD, a senior health researcher at the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C., conducted a study to test the cost-shifting theory. He analyzed discharge claims data for Medicare and private payment rates for inpatient hospital care from 1995 to 2009, and he found the gap between Medicare and private rates widened from 45 percent to 57 percent during that timeframe. Further, Medicare payment rates increased 3 percent annually on average compared with 3.56 percent per year for private payors.
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For Dual-Eligibles, Health Care Reform Is Already Here
The Huffington Post
May 7, 2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-spitzer/for-dualeligibles-health-_b_3223226.html
You can't open a newspaper--or a newsy website--these days without getting the latest update on two high-profile parts of the new health care law that are still months away from implementation. The Medicaid Expansion, which has the potential of helping 17 million people get health insurance, and the state-based Exchanges, which will offer even more the opportunity to purchase affordable health insurance at a group rate, are both set to roll out in 2014. Both the expansion and the Exchanges are an important part of expanding access to quality, affordable health care and deserve the attention they are getting.
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Health-care expansion likely dead in House, author says
Houston Chronicle
May 7, 2013
http://blog.chron.com/texaspolitics/2013/05/health-care-expansion-likely-dead-in-house-author-says/
A bill to provide health care to the neediest Texans is likely dead, the author said Tuesday.
“It’s a real hot potato for sure politically for a lot of people,” said Rep. John Zerwas, a Simonton Republican who oversees health and human services on the House Appropriations Committee. The federal health care law would provide billions of dollars to the state to expand Medicaid to adults who don’t qualify for the traditional program – more than 1 million people in Texas.
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Texas Doctor Sues U.S. Over Affordable Health Care Act (1)
Bloomberg
May 7, 2013
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-07/texas-doctor-sues-u-dot-s-dot-over-affordable-health-care-act-1
A Texas doctor sued the U.S. over President Barack Obama’s health-care reforms on claims the U.S. Supreme Court overlooked when it upheld the Affordable Care Act last year. Steven Hotze of Houston claims the law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, violates the U.S. Constitution’s origination and takings clauses, which weren’t part of arguments before the Supreme Court. The high court upheld the act by a 5-to-4 vote.
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Health-Care Cost Slowdown Seen Saving Up to $770 Billion
Bloomberg
May 7, 2013
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-06/health-spending-slowdown-may-last-as-habits-show-change.html
People with health insurance saw increases in their medical costs slow from 2009 to 2011, signaling potential structural changes in the industry that could cut health-care inflation and save the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two studies. The changes include greater use of generic drugs, higher out-of-pocket costs and more efficient care, a trend encouraged by the 2010 health-care overhaul, said David Cutler, a Harvard University health economist. If they permanently slow growth, the U.S. may reap $770 billion in unexpected savings from projected expenditures by 2021, wiping out a fifth of the budget deficit, one of the studies found.
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California Delays 'Dual Eligible' Care Plan Launch Until Next Year
NASDAQ
May 7, 2013
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/california-delays-dual-eligible-care-plan-launch-until-next-year-20130507-01044
California has once again delayed plans to launch a large program to test new ways to coordinate care for people on both Medicare and Medicaid, and is now aiming to launch the program no sooner than January next year. This is a three-month delay from the state's most recent plan for covering so-called dual-eligible patients, and the schedule had already slipped from earlier hopes to launch the program at the start of 2013. The program will cover as many as 465,000 patients for three years through insurers Health Net Inc. (HNT), Molina Healthcare Inc. ( MOH ), WellPoint Inc. ( WLP ) and other local health plans.
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Virtual health care gaining ground
USA Today
May 6, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/06/virtual-health-care-digital-doctors/2138521/
Technology is going to radically change your office visit to the doctor in the years ahead. An "office" may not even be associated with your visit. You may already have seen the changes: Your doctor allows you to make your next appointment online or when you arrive at your doctor's office, you sign in on an iPad instead of a clipboard.
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Slowdown in Health Costs’ Rise May Last as Economy Revives
The New York Times
May 6, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/business/slowdown-in-rise-of-health-care-costs-may-persist.html?pagewanted=all
One of the economic mysteries of the last few years has been the bigger-than-expected slowdown in health spending, a trend that promises to bolster wages and help close the wide federal deficit over the long term — but only if it persists. Major new studies from researchers at Harvard University, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and elsewhere have concurred that at least some of the slowdown is unrelated to the recession, and might persist as the economy recovers. David M. Cutler, the Harvard health economist and former Obama adviser, estimates that, given the dynamics of the slowdown, economists might be overestimating public health spending over the next decade by as much as $770 billion.
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Next year heralds major changes in nation's health care
USA Today
May 6, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/06/five-ways-your-health-care-will-change-in-the-next-year/2050379/
Within the next 12 months, consumers could get a quick check-up at the pharmacy, text glucose levels to a doctor through a smart-phone app or earn bonuses for treadmill time from their employer--all as the nation grapples with growing health care costs. Spurred in part by the 2010 health care law, also known as the Affordable Care Act, as well as by the chronic disease costs associated with obesity, insurers, providers and businesses have re-imagined everything from where a person with a sprained finger should go for care to what employers can do to increase the overall health -- and productivity -- of their employees.
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Obamacare repeal vote coming soon, Cantor promises
LifeHealthPro
May 6, 2013
http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/05/06/obamacare-repeal-vote-coming-soon-cantor-promises
If his latest memo is any indication, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act remains a big target for GOP leaders in Congress. Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., told House Republicans late last week that they soon will have a chance to vote on repeal of the law. “While we have not locked in the timing, I expect that the House will vote on full repeal of Obamacare in the near future,” he wrote House members. The memo, dated Friday, May 3, was the May legislative agenda from Cantor.
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Ezekiel Emanuel: Health-Care Exchanges Will Need the Young Invincibles
The Wall Street Journal
May 6, 2013
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324326504578467560106322692.html?mod=wsj_streaming_latest-headlines
In less than five months, on Oct. 1, the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges will go live online. Millions of Americans will suddenly be able to log on to a website and choose their own heath-care coverage from a menu of subsidized options for prices and coverage levels. As the opening day gets closer, anxiety is increasing over how well these online exchanges will function.
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Minnesota health exchange board is strong
Star Tribune
May 6, 2013
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/206042711.html
A young father and small-business owner. A General Mills vice president. A doctor who took care of expectant moms in a small central Minnesota community. The Fond du Lac reservation’s longtime director of human services. The former general counsel of UnitedHealthcare. And, an independent consultant who has negotiated union benefits but who also has been tapped by a Republican governor and industry to serve on health care boards and commissions.
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5 ways your health care will change in the next year
Detroit Free Press
May 6, 2013
http://www.freep.com/article/20130506/FEATURES08/305060100/health-care-changes-2014
Within the next 12 months, consumers could get a quick check-up at the pharmacy, text glucose levels to a doctor through a smart-phone app or earn bonuses for treadmill time from their employer--all as the nation grapples with growing health care costs. Spurred in part by the 2010 health care law, also known as the Affordable Care Act, as well as by the chronic disease costs associated with obesity, insurers, providers and businesses have re-imagined everything from where a person with a sprained finger should go for care to what employers can do to increase the overall health -- and productivity -- of their employees.
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Singapore's Health Care Lessons for the U.S.
Brookings
May 6, 2013
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2013/05/06-singapore-health-care-system-haseltine
Most people will agree that the U.S. health care system needs systematic restructuring. Americans pay more for their health care then residents of other high income countries but get worse health outcomes. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 addresses some but not all of the most pressing problems. I believe we can reduce health care expenses, saving trillions of dollars a year, by making our health care system more efficient, following the lessons from the best other countries have to offer. Singapore offers an excellent starting point.
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Medicare should pay for patients, not treatments
Miami Herald
May 5, 2013
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/05/3380247/medicare-should-pay-for-patients.html
The recent deceleration in U.S. healthcare costs appears to be at least partially structural, and not entirely due to a still-lackluster economy. That offers some hope that the slowdown will continue. Still, more needs to be done to encourage the trend. Two new bipartisan proposals for the next round of healthcare reform may point the way. Last month, the Bipartisan Policy Center released a set of ideas for improving value in healthcare. And just this week, the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution put forward its own set of initiatives
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Many opt for high-deductible health plans despite risks
Los Angeles Times
May 5, 2013
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-healthcare-watch-20130505,0,2958355.story
Alice Marie Francis believes it's important to have health insurance, but finding a plan that fit her budget was no easy task. "Money is tight," says the 50-year-old Burbank mother of two, whose children are insured by their father's work-based policy. To make sure she had coverage that didn't break the bank, she opted for a high-deductible health plan — an increasingly popular option with lower monthly premiums but high upfront costs before most insurance payments kick in.
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Obamacare is on the horizon, but will enough people sign up?
Weekly Standard
May 5, 2013
http://news.yahoo.com/obamacare-horizon-enough-people-sign-110255434.html
Healthcare reform should be the signature Democratic achievement of President Barack Obama's presidency. But with "Obamacare" five months from show time, Democrats are worried about whether enough Americans will sign up to make the sweeping healthcare overhaul a success - and what failure might mean for Congress heading into the 2016 presidential race.
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Calif. Democrats at odds over Medicaid expansion
Modern Healthcare
May 5, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130505/INFO/305059997/calif-democrats-at-odds-over-medicaid-expansion
California was an early booster of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law and was the first state to authorize a health insurance exchange in 2010. It also was quick to commit to the optional Medicaid expansion that has been rejected by some Republican states. Turns out, saying yes was the easy part. It's been months since Gov. Jerry Brown agreed to expand Medi-Cal, as Medicaid is known in the state, to some 1.4 million Californians, but he and his Democratic colleagues in the Legislature are still wrangling over details of the expansion.
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Innovating Healthcare Payment Systems: Moving Beyond the Fee-for-Service Model
The Huffington Post
May 5, 2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-guan/innovating-healthcare-pay_b_3211475.html
This excerpt illustrates how patients who spend more do not necessarily experience better health outcomes -- a key hallmark of our ongoing healthcare crisis. With spending projected to reach $4.8 trillion over the coming decade, experts have denounced America's dominant medical payment model, the fee-for-service (FFS) model, as a prime culprit. Under the FFS system, doctors are paid based on the number of medical services such as operations, procedures, and tests ordered. As a result, the payment structure encourages physicians to deliver care based on quantity, but does not fiscally incentivize improving patient outcomes. Since doctors profit from each procedure, but are not liable for associated costs or outcomes, patients often receive unnecessary procedures and tests which they and their health insurance providers must pay for. The FFS model as a result, perpetuates healthcare inefficiencies by incentivizing delivery of volume, as opposed to value-based care.
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W. Va.'s Medicaid expansion aided by key Obama administration adviser
Modern Healthcare
May 5, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130505/INFO/305059995/w-va-s-medicaid-expansion-aided-by-key-obama-administration-adviser
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's decision to open Medicaid to more low-income West Virginians was reached neither quickly nor easily, administration officials say. The path to last week's announcement began in June, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal health care law. The ruling struck down language that threatened existing federal Medicaid funding for states that didn't expand their programs as called for by the sweeping overhaul. "When we found out we had a choice, we started studying it," Tomblin Chief of Staff Rob Alsop said Friday.
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What Health Insurance Doesn’t Do
The New York Times
May 4, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/opinion/sunday/douthat-what-health-insurance-doesnt-do.html?_r=0
IN one of the most famous studies of health insurance, conducted across the 1970s, thousands of participants were divided into five groups, with each receiving a different amount of insurance coverage. The study, run by the RAND Corporation, tracked the medical care each group sought out, and not surprisingly found that people with more comprehensive coverage tended to make use of it, visiting the doctor and checking into the hospital more often than people with less generous insurance.
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Florida legislature ends session without Medicaid expansion
Modern Healthcare
May 4, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130504/INFO/305039984/florida-legislature-ends-session-without-medicaid-expansion
Florida lawmakers ended their 60-day session Friday, waiting until the final hour to pass a $74.5 billion budget and then leaving town without passing a bill to extend healthcare coverage to 1.1 million Floridians. The Legislature did send Gov. Rick Scott an elections bill that attempts to fix problems with long lines and vote-counting delays that made Florida a joke across the nation last November. Among other things, the bill allows elections supervisors to hold up to 14 days of early voting instead of the eight days now in law, a reversal for the GOP-led legislature from two years ago. It also allows more early voting sites.
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Ryan tells GOP to capitalize on health care
San Francisco Chronicle
May 4, 2013
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ryan-tells-GOP-to-capitalize-on-health-care-4488428.php
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan told Wisconsin Republicans at the state party convention Saturday that they must capitalize politically on the implementation of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, offering those who become frustrated a better alternative.
Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, said as the law goes into effect, health insurance costs for individuals and businesses will skyrocket, employers will drop coverage for workers and Republicans need to be there to attract those angry about it.
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Legislature's inaction on Medicaid reform comes at a price
Tampa Bay Times
May 4, 2013
http://blogs.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/legislatures-inaction-on-health-care-reform-comes-at-a-price/2119258
Republican lawmakers say they are champions for Florida's businesses. But their failure to expand health insurance coverage to 1 million or more Floridians will put many employers in a financial lurch. Without a deal on health care, business owners across the state face the predicament of either paying to provide health insurance for their employees or facing federal government fines. Either way, t Legislature's inaction will saddle many businesses with additional costs that could reach, in total, close to $150 million next year.
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Question of subsidies and federal exchanges at center of latest health law court challenge
News Medical
May 4, 2013
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130504/Question-of-subsidies-and-federal-exchanges-at-center-of-latest-health-law-court-challenge.aspx
News outlets report on a variety of health implementation issues, including the latest lawsuit filed by the law's opponents. Other stories detail cost and coverage wrinkles and advances. The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Obamacare Gets New Court Challenge
Opponents of the health-care overhaul have filed a new lawsuit Thursday against the federal government on behalf of four individuals and three employers in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint focuses on the law's distribution of federal subsidies for Americans to purchase insurance, and whether people can get them if they live in one of the 33 states that have refused to set up their own insurance exchanges and have left that task up to the federal government (Radnofsky, 5/2).
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Budget sails, health-care plan fails
Florida Today
May 3, 2013
http://www.floridatoday.com/viewart/20130504/NEWS01/305040009/Budget-sails-health-care-plan-fails
Lawmakers ended their 60-day session Friday, waiting until the final hour to pass a $74.5 million budget and then leaving town without passing a bill to extend health care coverage to 1.1 million Floridians. The Legislature did send Gov. Rick Scott an elections bill that attempts to fix problems with long lines and vote-counting delays that made Florida a joke across the nation last November.
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Schumer says Obamacare partly responsible for premium hikes
The Washington Examiner
May 3, 2013
http://washingtonexaminer.com/schumer-says-obamacare-partly-responsible-for-premium-hikes/article/2528787
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has acknowledged that President Obama’s health care law is partly responsible for the expected rise in health care premiums next year as the law’s major provisions kick in. A local Rochester, NY NBC affiliate did a story about expected premium hikes by health insurers as the various mandates of the health care law go into effect and approached Schumer about the issue.
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CMS Removing Certain Medical Error Data From Hospital Compare Site
iHealthBeat
May 3, 2013
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2013/5/3/cms-removing-certain-medical-error-data-from-hospital-compare-site.aspx
Federal officials have said that data on certain kinds of medical errors will be removed from CMS' Hospital Compare website.  n 2011, CMS expanded its Hospital Compare site to include facility-specific data on eight serious hospital-acquired conditions: Air embolism; Blood incompatibility; Catheter-associated infections; Falls and trauma; Foreign objects left in body after surgery; Pressure ulcers; Uncontrolled blood sugar levels; and Urinary tract infections. The updates to the website raised objections from some hospitals concerned about the accuracy and fairness of the newly posted information.
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States fear loss of health care aid
Boston Globe
May 3, 2013
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/2013/05/03/apnewsbreak-states-fear-loss-health-care-aid/ZVMWeyc4YTSBPM3fsHhUgO/story.html
Thousands of people with serious medical problems are in danger of losing coverage under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul because of cost overruns, state officials say. At risk is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a transition program that’s become a lifeline for the so-called ‘‘uninsurables’’ — people with serious medical conditions who can’t get coverage elsewhere. The program helps bridge the gap for those patients until next year, when under the new law insurance companies will be required to accept people regardless of their medical problems.
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U.S. healthcare law opponents sue Obama officials over IRS rules
Reuters
May 3, 2013
http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/usa-tax-healthcare-idINL2N0DJ1JJ20130502
A group of individuals and businesses filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration's health care overhaul on Thursday, hoping to stop the law in states that have not set up new insurance exchanges. The complaint filed in the Washington federal court challenges federal rules issued in 2012 for implementing the president's 2010 health care law which goes into full force in January 2014. The 12 challengers, ranging from a hospital chain to a restaurant franchise, argue that Internal Revenue Service rules issued last year should be invalidated because they contradict what Congress originally intended.
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Healthcare shows second month of weak job contribution
Modern Healthcare
May 3, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130503/NEWS/305039963/healthcare-shows-second-month-of-weak-job-contribution
Job creation at physician offices rebounded in April and helped contribute to 19,000 new healthcare jobs in April, but the figure represents a second month that the sector made a relatively weak contribution to the job market, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The overall nonfarm economy added 165,000 jobs in April, and the government revised the February and March figures to reflect an additional 114,000 jobs, bringing the unemployment rate down to 7.5%, a four-year low, according to preliminary, seasonally-adjusted figures the BLS released Friday morning.
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ADP CFO: Health Care Changes Impact Hiring at Smaller Firms
The Wall Street Journal
May 3, 2013
http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2013/05/03/adp-cfo-health-care-changes-impact-hiring-at-smaller-firms/?KEYWORDS=adp
Growth at smaller companies is slowing down amid concerns about upcoming health care law changes, though big companies may not see much of a difference once the health care law is implemented, Automatic Data Processing Inc. Chief Financial Officer Jan Siegmund said. As Mr. Siegmund told MarketWatch earlier on Friday, the company, which processes payrolls for thousands of employers, is seeing some weakness in small business, as firms are cautious about taking on new employees before the Affordable Care Act goes into effect next year.
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Will My Business Lose Good Applicants Without Health Care?
Business Review USA
May 3, 2013
http://www.businessreviewusa.com/business_leaders/will-my-business-lose-good-applicants-without-health-care
Small business owners face enough challenges, so when they are not able to offer healt hcare to current or future employees, the job of running a small business becomes that much harder. Why are so many small businesses struggling with health care and is there a happy healthcare middle ground to be found?
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Research and Markets: The Global Home Healthcare Device Industry Expected To Reach Approximately US $29 Billion In 2017
The Wall Street Journal
May 3, 2013
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130503-912433.html
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Top Five Global Home Healthcare Device Companies: Performance, Strategies and Competitive" report to their offering. The global home health care device industry has experienced good growth over the last five years and is expected to reach approximately US $29 billion in 2017 with a CAGR of 3% over the next five years.
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Reform Update: CMS' plan for DSH payments gets close review
Modern Healthcare
May 3, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130503/NEWS/305039967/reform-update-cms-plan-for-dsh-payments-gets-close-review
As healthcare providers and analysts continue to digest more than 1,400 pages of the CMS' recent inpatient prospective payment proposed rule, they are analyzing how the agency would implement a new payment methodology for Medicare disproportionate-share hospital (DSH) payments next year.  The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act decreases Medicaid and Medicare DSH payments—which community and safety net hospitals use to provide uncompensated care—starting in 2014, based on the belief that the law's coverage expansions will lower the number of uninsured and underinsured Americans.
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Health Care Act worries small businesses who say they're not ready for new law
CBS
May 3, 2013
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505267_162-57582697/health-care-act-worries-small-businesses-who-say-theyre-not-ready-for-new-law/
Some small business owners are worried about the new health care law, dubbed "Obamacare." Among those fearing what it will mean to their bottom line is one businessman who once supported health care reform. The Affordable Care Act will be fully implemented by Jan. 1, 2014. But right now, it's causing concern and anxiety for small business owners who say they don't understand how the new law works or how they're going to pay for it.
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South Carolina bill would make it a crime to implement ObamaCare
Fox
May 3, 2013
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/03/south-carolina-bill-would-make-it-crime-to-implement-obamacare/
The Supreme Court may have ruled ObamaCare is constitutional, but implementing the controversial federal law would become a crime in South Carolina if a bill passed by the state House becomes law.
The bill, approved Wednesday by a vote of 65-39, declares President Obama's signature legislation "null and void." Whereas the law that Obama pushed and Congress passed is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, South Carolina's law would be known as the Freedom of Health Care Protection Act.
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CMS seeks 2% payment increase for inpatient rehab facilities
Modern Healthcare
May 2, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305029949/cms-seeks-2-payment-increase-for-inpatient-rehab-facilities
Medicare's inpatient rehabilitation facility payment rates could increase by up to 2% in fiscal 2014, under a rule proposed by the CMS. The proposed increase, which is worth about $150 million, is based on a 2.5% marketbasket update that would be reduced by 0.4 of a percentage point because of a multifactor productivity adjustment and 0.3 of a percentage point due to requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Finally, the CMS proposed an increase of 0.2 of a percentage point through an update to the outlier threshold.
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The Oregon Data and the Health Care Debate
The New York Times
May 2, 2013
http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/the-oregon-data-and-the-health-care-debate/
The big news in health care today is the latest data from an ongoing study of Medicaid recipients in Oregon, which finds that while being on Medicaid improves people’s financial situation and boosts their mental well-being, in the interval studied the program seemed to have little or no statistically significant impact on their actual physical health.
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Obama Health-care Law Challenged in Suit Over Tax Subsidies (1)
Bloomberg
May 2, 2013
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-02/obama-health-care-law-challenged-in-suit-over-tax-subsidies-1
Opponents of the Obama administration’s health-care overhaul sued the U.S. over an Internal Revenue Service rule that extends tax subsidies to individuals in states that declined to set up insurance exchanges authorized under the law. The individual subsidies by law were supposed to be available only in states that had agreed to set up insurance exchanges as clearinghouses for the purchase of medical coverage, according to a complaint filed today in federal court in Washington.
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Expanded Medicaid means a stronger Michigan
Holland Sentinel
May 2, 2013
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/mobile_opinion/x1213309051/COMMENTARY-Expanded-medicaid-means-a-stronger-Michigan
In 2010 the federal government passed a controversial yet badly needed law that tackled many major aspects of our broken health care system. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted to try and increase access to coverage, lower costs and increase the quality of our health care. For reform to be successful however, all three approaches must be addressed simultaneously to create a health-care system that works for consumers, the business community, and the government.
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5 Things the Oregon Medicaid Study Tells Us About American Health Care
Time
May 2, 2013
http://nation.time.com/2013/05/02/5-things-the-oregon-medicaid-study-tells-us-about-american-health-care/
Among all the criticisms of President Obama’s health care reform law, the most salient may be that the Affordable Care Act focuses on access to insurance at the expense of cost and quality care. A new set of results from a study on Oregon’s Medicaid program supports this critique and offers a window into the broader shortcomings of the U.S. health care system.
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U.S. healthcare law opponents sue Obama officials over IRS rules
Reuters
May 2, 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/usa-tax-healthcare-idUSL2N0DJ1JJ20130502
A group of individuals and businesses filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration's healthcare overhaul on Thursday, hoping to stop the law in states that have not set up new insurance exchanges. The complaint filed in the Washington federal court challenges federal rules issued in 2012 for implementing the president's 2010 health care law which goes into full force in January 2014.
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U.S. regulators subpoena law firm, lobbyist in healthcare case: report
Reuters
May 2, 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/us-sec-healthcare-idUSBRE9410QF20130502
U.S. regulators are investigating a Washington-based law firm, a securities analyst and healthcare lobbyist and have issued subpoenas as part of a wider probe, according to a media report. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has subpoenaed an analyst with Height Securities, and Mark Hayes, a lobbyist who advised the capital markets firm, as well as Hayes' law firm Greenberg Traurig, The Washington Post reported, citing sources who could not be named because of the investigation.
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Healthcare law opponents sue Obama officials over IRS rules
Reuters
May 2, 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/us-usa-tax-healthcare-idUSBRE9411A920130502
A group of individuals and businesses filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration's healthcare overhaul on Thursday, hoping to stop the law in states that have not set up new insurance exchanges.  The complaint filed in the Washington federal court challenges federal rules issued in 2012 for implementing the president's 2010 health care law which goes into full force in January 2014.
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W.Va. governor to push Medicaid expansion
Modern Healthcare
May 2, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305029968/w-va-governor-to-push-medicaid-expansion
One of the last undecided Democratic governors has opted to expand Medicaid. West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced his intention to urge funding of the expansion by the Democratic-led Legislature after considering it for nearly a year. The expansion to the full limit allowed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—all residents earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level—would add 91,500 enrollees to the 350,000 now in the program, according to state estimates.
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More insurers hint at PPACA exchange strategies
Life Health pro
May 2, 2013
http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/05/02/more-insurers-hint-at-ppaca-exchange-strategies
Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) is gearing up to participate in 14 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) health insurance exchanges. Cigna Corp. (NYSE:CI) is talking about being "sharply focused on a limited number of markets." The comments came out during conference calls the companies held to discuss their first-quarter earnings.
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Florida Medicaid Expansion Bills Sputter to Halt
Becker’s Hospital Review
May 2, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/racs-/-icd-9-/-icd-10/florida-medicaid-expansion-bills-sputter-to-halt.html
Despite unlikely backing by former hospital executive Gov. Rick Scott, Florida's GOP-led legislature has successfully blocked several bills to expand Medicaid in the state as the legislative session draws to a close for the year, according to a report by The New York Times.  Typically one of the fiercest opponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Gov. Scott in February voiced his support for the provision that would grant additional Medicaid federal funding, making him one of a handful of Republican governors to do so. Republican lawmakers didn't share his enthusiasm, with the state House last week voting down the Senate's plan to use private insurers to expand the program modeled after Arkansas' law.
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With no deal on healthcare, Democrats continue into Day 2 of stalling tactics
Miami Herald
May 1, 2013
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2013/05/with-no-deal-on-healthcare-democrats-continue-into-day-2-of-stalling-tactics.html
Democrats in the Florida House continued to use procedural tactics to slow down the legislative process Wednesday, part of a protest against the Legislature’s non-action on healthcare reform. Forcing all bills to be read in their entirety and reading full passages from the state’s Constitution, the minority party held firm on its insistence that Florida act on healthcare reform this year.  When they weren’t reading from the Constitution in debate, the Democrats turned to shifting debate on all bills back to the issue of healthcare reform.
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CMS Proposes 1.1% Increase to Hospice Medicare Payments in 2014
Becker’s Hospial Review
May 1, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/racs-/-icd-9-/-icd-10/cms-proposes-11-increase-to-hospice-medicare-payments-in-2014.html
CMS proposed a rule yesterday that would increase Medicare payments to hospices by 1.1 percent, or $180 million, in fiscal year 2014. The net increase is based on a 2.5 percent increase in the inpatient hospital market basket, minus 0.7 percent for reductions required by law. It is also based on a 0.6 percent decrease to the market basket as part of CMS' seven-year phase-out of the wage index's budget neutrality adjustment factor and a 0.1 percent decrease due to the use of updated wage data.
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Survey: Most Hospital Executives Predict Rise in Outpatient Volumes This Year
Becker’s Hospital Review
May 1, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/racs-/-icd-9-/-icd-10/survey-most-hospital-executives-predict-rise-in-outpatient-volumes-this-year.html
As the healthcare sector gets closer to full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, many hospital executives believe more admissions will shift from the inpatient setting to outpatient this year, according to Premier healthcare alliance's spring 2013 economic outlook.  Premier surveyed 530 hospital C-suite members and other hospital managers, and only 35 percent projected an increase in inpatient volumes this year, down 30 percent from last year's predictions. Conversely, 69 percent of respondents said they expected outpatient volumes to increase this year.
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IRS deals employers a setback in healthcare rules: lawyers
Chicago Tribune
May 1, 2013
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-usa-tax-healthcarebre94016z-20130501,0,3262950.story
Employer-sponsored healthcare plans cannot include most "wellness programs" as part of minimum coverage requirements, dealing a setback to many businesses, according to new federal rules for U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul starting next year. The Internal Revenue Service released on Tuesday proposed rules for Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act that handed a victory to labor unions and consumer groups, tax lawyers said on Wednesday.
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CMS seeks 1.4% payment hike for SNFs
Modern Healthcare
May 1, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305019950/cms-seeks-1-4-payment-hike-for-snfs
The CMS has proposed a 1.4% hike in Medicare payments to skilled-nursing facilities for fiscal 2014, which the agency estimates would increase payments to these providers by about $500 million from 2013 payment levels. Released Wednesday, the regulation proposes to rebase and revise the skilled-nursing facility marketbasket index for next year. Currently, the marketbasket reflects data from fiscal 2004, and the CMS has suggested using data from fiscal 2010 instead.
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CMS Issues Final Consumer Applications For Health Care Coverage Under ACA
BNA
May 1, 2013
http://www.bna.com/cms-issues-final-n17179873710/
Following criticism that draft application forms to enroll in insurance coverage under the health care reform law were too long and complicated, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled simplified forms April 30. The application for individuals without health insurance has been reduced from 21 to three pages, and the application for families is reduced by two-thirds, CMS said in a release. The agency said the forms are “much shorter than industry standards for health insurance applications today.”
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Okla. group calls on governor to expand Medicaid
San Francisco Chronicle
May 1, 2013
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Okla-group-calls-on-governor-to-expand-Medicaid-4480414.php
As a small group of Oklahoma legislators look into ways to help 200,000 of the state's residents afford health insurance, a group of low-income Oklahomans and their advocates called on Gov. Mary Fallin Wednesday to change her mind and accept federal funding to expand the state's Medicaid program.
The Coalition for Medicaid Expansion held a news conference at the state Capitol to show what they said was the result of Fallin's decision last November to refuse the funds, which are included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, backed by Democrats.
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What Will New Care Models, Health Benefits Look Like in 5 Years?
Becker’s Hospital Review
May 1, 2013
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/news-analysis/what-will-new-care-models-health-benefits-look-like-in-5-years.html
At the VHA 2013 Navigating to Excellence Forum in Las Vegas on May 1, 2013, David Cutler, PhD, the Otto Eckstein professor of applied economics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; Meredith Rosenthal, PhD, associate professor of health economics and policy at the Harvard School of Public Health; Marianne Udow-Phillips, MHSA, director of the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation and a lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Public Health; and Dan Wolterman, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, discussed “Navigating the Regulatory, Economic and Consumer Landscape” of healthcare in a panel moderated by Steve Miff, PhD, senior vice president at VHA.
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Philip Klein: Obamacare's shifting expectations
The Washington Examiner
May 1, 2013
http://washingtonexaminer.com/philip-klein-obamacares-shifting-expectations/article/2528606
In March 2010, weeks before the final passage of President Obama's national health care law, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi uttered the infamous line that "we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it," adding, in a less quoted phrase, "away from the fog of the controversy." Pelosi's intention was to explain — not that she personally didn't know what was in the bill — but that there were myriad benefits in the legislation that were getting lost in all the focus on the process of passing it. Once the bill was passed, she was attempting to argue, Americans would begin to see all of the amazing things it had to offer.
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New taxes, mandates in health care law hurt business: PennLive letters
The Patriot-News
May 1, 2013
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/05/new_taxes_mandates_in_health_care_law_hurt_business_pennlive_letters.html
A recent “As I See It” column highlighted some of the few positive aspects of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with regard to new options for small businesses. However, it ignored many harmful provisions that put economic growth and job creation at risk. Pennsylvania Chamber members have long supported improving quality and extending health coverage to more individuals through meaningful reforms that advance those objectives while preserving private-sector coverage.
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Conn. hospitals latest winners under rural-floor rule
Modern Healthcare
May 1, 2013
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305019966/conn-hospitals-latest-winners-under-rural-floor-rule
Connecticut hospitals would win big under the CMS' latest update of its controversial rural-floor policy. The latest agency calculations project hospitals in the state will see a $75 million boost in fiscal 2014, compared to $16.7 million in the current fiscal year, because of a Medicare payment modifier based on rural and urban hospital categorizations in each state. The pay increase, included in a CMS payment rule, would affect 27 of Connecticut's 32 hospitals.

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