Policy and Legislation
Small business owners in California said they would be more likely to offer health insurance after learning about tax credits available under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new poll by Pacific Community Ventures.
The American Center for Law and Justice, a non-profit group focusing on Constitutional law, said it's encouraged by a district court decision that could help to catapult its case opposing the Affordable Care Act to the Supreme Court.
Two Pennsylvania Congressmen - from opposite sides of the aisle - have filed a bill seeking to eliminate a competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment that has frustrated providers and consumers.
Legislation to exempt broker commissions from the medical loss ratio provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is gaining bipartisan steam.
Two months after announcing its intention to raise rates for 200,000 individual plan members - with some planned increases as high as 59 percent - California Blue Shield is withdrawing its rate filing with the California Department of Insurance and instead will hold both individual and family plan rates steady for the remainder of the year.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released its annual recommendations to Congress on Tuesday, calling for a 1 percent pay increase for physicians.
The average per capita cost of healthcare services covered by commercial insurance and Medicare programs increased by 6.29 percent over the year ending in January, according to Standard & Poor's S&P Healthcare Economic Composite Index. It's the first time the growth rate has accelerated since May 2010.
Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provided health benefits to nearly 75 million people last year - or nearly one-in-four people - according to the inaugural report of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC).
Proposed changes to charitable tax deductions may limit the ability of nonprofit healthcare institutions to raise funds, according to a survey by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.
The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a nationwide television and radio ad campaign aimed at educating the public about Medicare fraud. The focus of the campaign is to help seniors understand the importance of protecting personal information such as Medicare numbers.