Policy and Legislation
The VA had published a proposed rule in March to eliminate the co-pays, then added a direct final rule that would expedite the process if the proposed rule received no "significant" opposition. With the comment period ending on April 5, the rule could go into effect as early as May 7.
According to Harvard Law professor Einer Elhauge, in 1790 the first Congress, which included 20 framers of the Constitution, passed a law mandating that shipowners purchase medical insurance for their seamen.
To improve America's lackluster performance on health outcomes compared with its peer nations and to maintain its international competitiveness, the United States needs to invest more in its public health system and spend public health dollars more efficiently, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.
A Commonwealth Fund brief that analyzed insurance company MLR data from 2010 shows that health insurance consumers would have received $2 billion in rebates if the new medical loss ratio (MLR) rules contained in the Affordable Care Act had been in effect that year.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced yesterday that it has signed on 27 organizations as the first under its Shared Savings Program for accountable care organizations (ACO).
As president and CEO of one of the country's largest healthcare organizations, Susan DeVore has pushed for cost-effective and high-quality care as well as set an example for the importance of ethical business standards.
A proposed rule that would establish a unique health plan identifier under HIPAA and would implement several administrative simplification provisions of the Affordable Care Act was announced Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In a deal that aims to create a technology company focused on providing real-time data to doctors from both medical records and private payers, Lumeris and payers Highmark Inc., Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Independence Blue Cross announced they will acquire NaviNet for an undisclosed price.
Older people are much more likely to vote. So it’s really no wonder that spending priorities in this country are biased toward the old, or that the biggest – and completely unfunded – spending boost for the old in the form of the Medicare Part D drug benefit occurred under the notionally conservative George W. Bush and a Republican Congress.
Healthcare is a complex industry, and changing the way business is done to ensure the viability and success of hospitals and medical suppliers is a daunting challenge. With the Supreme Court scheduled to review the healthcare reform act in the year ahead, 2012 should continue to be a disruptive one for the industry. And that’s not entirely a bad thing.