Policy and Legislation
In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last week, 18 Democratic senators and senators-elect requested a delay in the medical device tax, a 2.3 percent tax that is slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013 as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner and other CMS officials announced on Monday that states which embark on a partial expansion of their Medicaid systems would not qualify for the full 100 percent funding under the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion provision.
An annual list of issues facing physicians doesn't offer any surprises. The Physicians Foundation released today its Physicians Watch List, five issues the nonprofit organization has identified as likely to have the most impact on doctors in 2013.
Saying the federal government hasn't done enough to provide concrete parameters for establishing health insurance exchange, Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday vetoed state legislation that would have created a state-run HIX in New Jersey.
A new study reveals that financial risk plays a role in underuse of hospice care in the United States.
Employee wellness plans can be great cost savers for both health insurance companies and employers in the long run, but with new proposed rules and regulations around wellness plans set to begin on Jan. 1, 2014, employers and insurers are going to have to be careful about following more legal requirements.
The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that False Claims Act recoveries in 2012 set records, including for healthcare recoveries, which topped $3 billion.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday that it is part of the first public-private partnership to promote medical device regulatory science. The partnership will focus on speeding up the review and approval processes of new medical devices.
Medicare Advantage (MA) HMO plans may be offering more efficient care than Medicare Part A and B plans, a study published in the journal Health Affairs has found. According to researchers, MA HMO enrollees have fewer hip and knee replacements and use fewer benefits for outpatient surgeries and procedures, inpatient stays and emergency department visits.
Last week New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a $3.1 million settlement with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield requiring the insurer to refund 12,000 plan members who overpaid their healthcare providers as a result of the company's improper accounting of deductibles.