Governors To Meet President Trump To Discuss The Future Of ACA
Governors from across the country are scheduled to meet President Trump next week to discuss healthcare reforms and various other issues. The governors have quickly convened the meeting in light of the preparations undertaken by congressional Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The initial meeting called by the state leaders is scheduled…
Healthcare Associations Request HHS To End Stage 3 Of Meaningful Use
America’s Essential Hospitals, College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), and fourteen other healthcare associations in the country recently requested the newly appointed secretary of HHS, Tom Price, to indefinitely delay the implementation of Merit-Based Incentive Payment System‘s Advancing Care Information (ACI) section and Stage 3 of the Meaningful Use EHR incentive program. In addition…
CMS Decides To Extend Non-ACA Compliant Plans
It is reported that the Trump Administration will allow consumers and insurers to extend for an additional small group and individual health plans, which do not comply with the coverage rules of the Affordable Care Act. The latest guidance from CMS allows grandmothered plans to work until December 31, 2018. It is reported that less…
New Proposed Rule By CMS To Improve Health Insurance Choices For Patients
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently issued a proposed rule for 2018, and the rule proposes new reforms that are crucial to stabilize the small group and individual health insurance markets to protect patients. It is reported that the proposed rule will make changes to special enrollment periods, guaranteed availability, the…
Senator Charles Schumer Expresses Concern In GOP Medicare Plans
The U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) recently voiced his concerns about the changes made to Medicare by the members of the congress. This even included replacing Tom Price, the current Health and Human Services Secretary, whose proposals include turning Medicaid into a voucher based, privatized system as well as cutting Medicaid. The Medicare program…
House Republican Leaders Put Forward Their Plans To Replace Obamacare
House Republican leaders recently presented an outline of their strategies to replace the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare to their rank-and-file members. The newly presented plans rely heavily on tax credits for financing the insurance purchases and on significantly reducing the federal payments to 31 states, which expanded the Medicaid eligibility. Paul D. Ryan, the…
CMS Seeking Proposals For 2018 Medicare Plans
Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plan programs managers are taking steps to ensure the programs stay the same for the next year as well. The 2018 Advance Notice packet for the programs issued by the managers appears roughly like the Medicare program advance notice packets that were posted earlier. There have been…
Tom Price Takes Charge As The New Secretary Of HHS
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) was named as the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services recently after a 52-47 vote in favor of Price. Nominated by President Trump, Price has always been a strong supporter of Republicans who wanted to revoke or reform Obamacare. The immense experience that he has gained by…
Federal Court To Keep The ACA Claims Of The Carrier Alive
Recently, a judge at the US Court of Federal Claims declined immediate help to a Lake Oswego, Oregon-based health insurer seeking more than twenty one million dollars in payments from a troubled ACA program. However, the judge thinks that she can rule on if the Affordable Care Act program owes the insurer money. The judge,…
Meaningful Use Reporting Deadline For EPs Extended
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has postponed the deadline for the attestation to Meaningful Use by Eligible Physicians. The deadline was fixed at February 28, but now it is postponed to March 13, 2017. The deadline for Eligible Hospitals was also postponed by CMS recently. The Electronic Health Records program of Medicare,…