Policy and Legislation

As the federal government moves forward with plans to encourage accountable care organizations, experts are warning that some ACOs could raise healthcare costs rather than lower them.

In this video from the White House, President Barack Obama gives a demonstration of the new HealthCare.gov website, intended to help U.S. citizens find information about their own coverage options, rights and benefits.

The recently enacted healthcare reform legislation and the recession are among the factors that will slow growth in the nursing home market, according to a new report.

Barack Obama made a stop in Portland, Maine to discuss his plans for healthcare reform. Healthcare Finance News was on the scene to get the opinions of those who lined up for a glimpse of the president.

A study published in the May 2010 online issue of Health Affairs finds that large multi-specialty medical groups provide higher quality care at a lower cost compared with physicians in small group practices.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week issued a hospital inpatient and long-term care prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2011 that would decrease average inpatient payments by 0.1 percent.

The number of licensed registered nurses in the United States grew to a new high of 3.1 million between 2004 and 2008, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Without significant reform to the healthcare system, the number of uninsured Americans could grow by 10 million in five years, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Senate adjourned early for the weekend without repealing or delaying the 21 percent Medicare physician pay cut that is expected to begin on March 3.

Premier healthcare alliance, which encompasses 2,300 not-for profit hospitals and health systems and more than 63,000 other healthcare organizations, addressed healthcare reform in a letter to Congressional leadership Jan. 12.