Slowdown In Medicare Spending Extends Trust Fund
Slower growth in spending is helping extend the life of Medicare’s hospital trust fund to 2026, two years beyond last year’s estimate, officials said Friday. They also reported, however, that Social Security’s disability trust fund, which pays monthly benefits to disabled workers and their families, is expected to be exhausted by 2016. Social Security will begin to […]
GOP Fears About IRS’ Access To Medical Records Disputed
Listening to recent statements from some congressional Republicans, you might think that the 2010 health law allows the Internal Revenue Service to have access to your medical records. Not so, says the Department of Health and Human Services. “The Affordable Care Act maintains strict privacy controls to safeguard personal information. The IRS will not have […]
GOP Raises Concerns About ‘Sebelius Shakedown’
As the GOP-controlled House of Representatives prepares again to vote this week on a repeal of the 2010 health law, some key Republican senators have seized on recent news developments to show their ire. Senate GOP leaders Tuesday took issue with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for soliciting money from private groups to implement the […]
Boehner Says GOP Will Not Make Nominations For Medicare Cost Control Panel
Update 3:45 p.m.: Speaker Boehner sent a letter to the White House Thursday formally declining to recommend appointments to the panel. Note to the Obama administration: Don’t wait by the phone for those GOP nominations to the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel created in the health law to make recommendations to Congress on how […]
Harkin Withdraws Hold On Tavenner; Reid Says Timing For Vote Is Unclear
Sen. Tom Harkin Tuesday removed the hold he had placed on the nomination of Marilyn Tavenner to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and said he would no longer stand in the way of a Senate vote despite actions by the Obama administration that he said violate “both the letter and the spirit” of the 2010 health […]
Obama: ‘We’re Pushing Very Hard’ To Meet Health Law Deadlines
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he expected some “glitches and bumps” in the road to full implementation of his health care law. “That’s pretty much true of every government program that’s ever been set up,” Obama said. “We’ve got a great team in place, we are pushing very hard to make sure that we’re hitting […]
Baucus Vows To Keep Watch On Health Law Rollout Before Leaving Senate
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus stunned his colleagues Tuesday when he announced he would not seek a seventh term next year. But don’t expect him to go quietly. Implementation of the 2010 health care law is a top priority for the Montana Democrat, as is overhauling the tax code, tackling the nation’s debt and pushing […]
Bipartisan Center Offers Plan To Reduce Health Spending
Medicare beneficiaries would have access to better coordinated medical care and the current Medicare physician payment formula would be scrapped as part of a health care cost containment plan the Bipartisan Policy Center unveiled Thursday. The plan offers more than 50 recommendations that would cut the federal deficit by about $560 billion over the next […]
The Medicare Budget Cuts No One Likes
Just in case the Obama administration didn’t know it already, cutting Medicare is hard to do. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday on President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget, both Republicans who have sought major changes to entitlements, and Democrats, who have vowed to preserve the programs, expressed misgivings. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., accused […]
Democratic Lawmakers Seek To Restore Drugmaker Rebates For ‘Dual Eligibles’
Updated at 5:25 p.m. Senate and House lawmakers unveiled legislation Tuesday that would require brand-name drugmakers to pay rebates to Medicare for drugs used by some of the program’s low-income and disabled beneficiaries. Photo by Karl Eisenhower/KHN The legislation would require drug companies to provide rebates to the federal government for drugs used by a […]
Five Ways The President’s Budget Would Change Medicare
President Obama’s 2014 budget plan includes a number of money-saving changes to Medicare, some of which have triggered concern from patient and provider groups.
HHS Seeking $1.5B In Funding To Run Federal Health Insurance Exchanges
The administration budget request also includes $2 billion in grants to states for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
IG Report Slaps Medicare For Not Recouping More Overpayment For Equipment
Medicare has made nearly $70 million in overpayments to suppliers of consumers’ medical equipment, and more than half of that money is unlikely to be recovered, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General. Since 2009, Medicare has required suppliers of such durable medical equipment, which includes wheelchairs, walkers […]
GOP Senators Seek To Cut Health Law Funding
Add Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to the list of lawmakers who wants to cut funding for the 2010 health care law as part of the debate over government funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. In an interview with radio show host Hugh Hewitt, Rubio said he’ll support legislation to fund the government through Sept. 30 […]
House Spending Bill Cuts Funding For Exchanges
You don’t hear much these days about Republicans trying to repeal the 2010 health care law. The Supreme Court ruling last June upheld most of the measure. President Obama’s re-election and Democrats’ continued control of the Senate have helped “Obamacare” implementation to move ahead. But there is one way to slow things down: use the power […]
Medical Research, FDA And Mental Health Programs Face Budget Bite
Federal funding for Medicaid is untouched but doctors, hospitals and other Medicare providers will see a 2 percent reduction.
Hospital Executive Bracing For Budget Cuts Says ‘We Need To Deal With Medicare’
David Blom, the president of OhioHealth, talks about the effects of sequestration and the need to find a long-term fiscal remedy.
FAQ On Medicare Doctor Pay: Why Is It So Hard To Fix?
A bipartisan House bill and an effort by GOP leaders seek to stop the threats of drastic cuts each year.
Ways & Means Chairman Hopes To Move Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Plan
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee made clear Tuesday that finding a solution to the vexing issue of setting Medicare physician payment rates is on his to-do list this year, and he got some tepid support from a key Democrat. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., said that the effort could be helped by a recent reassessment […]
3 Hill Panels Examining Changes To Medicare
Updated at 12:10 p.m. With $85 billion in automatic federal spending cuts set to take effect on Friday and predictions of economic disruption, much of official Washington is focused on the “blame game.” Publicly, there has been no sign that Congress or administration officials has made any progress on averting these cuts or finding common […]
