Kathleen Sebelius

Catholic nursing homes will be affected by HHS contraception regulation

February 02, 2012

About 500 Catholic nursing homes in the United States will be affected by a regulation requiring employer health insurance plans to cover contraceptive services.
 

House repeals CLASS Act

February 02, 2012

The House of Representatives repealed the CLASS Act on Wednesday night, although its future is far from clear. Many observers expect Republican efforts to repeal CLASS will die in the Senate, where there is likely not enough support to push through the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act.
 

Affordable Care Act provides help for nursing homes, brief says

January 31, 2012

The Affordable Care Act benefits nursing homes and other residential care facilities, according to an amicus curiae brief filed in the Supreme Court by six aging groups.
 

Alzheimer's experts to finalize Obama administration taskforce plan

January 17, 2012

A panel of Alzheimer's experts is kicking off a two-day meeting in Washington today to formalize an Obama administration goal of developing effective ways to treat and prevent Alzheimer's by 2025.
 

Government saved $17.6 billion in 2011 due to fraud prevention programs

November 16, 2011

A government crackdown on improper payments in federal programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, cut wasteful payments by $17.6 billion in 2011, the Office of Management and Budget reported Tuesday. The administration's Campaign to Cut Waste saved $7 billion in Medicare fee-for-service payment errors between 2010 and 2011, according to the OMB.
 

Demise of CLASS boosted awareness of long-term care, says former actuary

October 26, 2011

Although all signs point to the CLASS Act being shelved indefinitely, the program's former leader says the silver lining is the ongoing discussion about long-term care needs.
 

Talk of federal long-term care benefit won't go away

October 21, 2011

If opponents of the CLASS Act think they've beaten down or somehow subdued chief advocate Larry Minnix or his LeadingAge members, they have another thing coming. Despite a week of roiling controversy and confusion that has some official sources leaving it for dead, CLASS still has an active champion in Minnix. That much was abundantly clear in a video interview with McKnight's on Wednesday.
 

LeadingAge: Don't stop fighting for CLASS Act

October 18, 2011

The Department of Health and Human Services may have shelved the CLASS long-term care benefit, but advocates of the program said mixed messages from the White House suggest otherwise. One major provider association said it would continue to fight to keep the program alive while another issued a statement Monday that was more resigned that the CLASS Act was all but dead.
 

CLASS Act is far from dead, according to supporters

October 16, 2011

When the White House effectively killed the CLASS Act, the program's most vocal advocates dug in their heels in hopes of resurrecting the long-term care insurance program.
 

CLASS implementation likely delayed by one year

August 25, 2011

A Congressional Budget Office update issued Wednesday indicates there will be a one-year delay in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act's long-term care insurance plan.
 

Congressional study sought after study reveals unexpected error rates in e-prescribing

August 16, 2011

Reports of drug dosage mistakes, drug interactions and other electronic prescription errors have prompted members of Congress to request additional studies into health information technology systems.
 

Sebelius defends Medicare panel

June 27, 2011

In an editorial published on Politico.com, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended the Affordable Care Act's controversial Independent Payment Advisory Board, which critics charge rations care.
 

Providers ask Sebelius for meaningful use clarifications on electronic health records

June 22, 2011

Healthcare provider organizations are asking the Department of Health and Human Services for guidance on implementing electronic health records under Medicare and Medicaid's "meaningful use program."
 

State Medicaid programs can extend financial protections to same-sex spouses in nursing homes

June 13, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has sent a letter to state Medicaid programs clarifying the ability to offer same-sex couples the same protections opposite-sex couples receive when one partner needs facility-based long-term care.
 

CLASS Act changes in the works

May 31, 2011

The Department of Health and Human Services plans to issue a rule amending the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) program, a top official says.
 

Senators request ACO rule withdrawal

May 25, 2011

Seven Republican Senators have asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to withdraw a proposed regulation creating accountable care organizations, according to a letter released Tuesday.
 

A first: CMS allows Arizona to freeze an emergency-only Medicaid program

May 09, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has opened a new door, agreeing for the first time to allow a state to end a Medicaid program that offers temporary help for residents who have had catastrophic injuries or illnesses.
 

Sebelius defends Obama's plan on entitlement reform

May 06, 2011

Appearing in a hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went to bat for the Obama administration's entitlement reform plan in the Affordable Care Act. She also criticized Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) FY 2012 budget proposal, according to a report from The Hill.
 

HHS gives Medicare Advantage plans a $6.7 billion infusion

April 21, 2011

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is giving Medicare Advantage plans $6.7 billion in quality bonuses to take the heat off service cuts authorized under the Affordable Care Act, the Associated Press reported.
 

HHS announces private-public alliance to improve transition of care

April 13, 2011

Health and Human Services Department Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the creation of a new private-public alliance called Partnerships for Patients yesterday, saying it has the potential to prevent 1.8 million patient injuries and save the lives of 60,000 patients over the next three years.
 

GOP targets Medicaid, CLASS Act

April 01, 2011

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) says the Republican version of the fiscal 2012 budget—which will be released next month—will call for $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid funding over 10 years.
 

Feds: ACO regulations will tie quality to savings

April 01, 2011

Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services released long awaited proposed accountable care regulations yesterday, estimating it could save Medicare millions over the next three years.
 

Proposed state Medicaid cuts cause backlash from nursing home operators, wouldn't close budget gap anyway, top official says

March 28, 2011

Medicaid cost-cutting strategies the Department of Health and Human Services has suggested to states will not be enough to close $175 billion in cumulative budget gaps—and that's the way it should be. And that's according to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, based on remarks she made Friday.
 

HHS sending teams of budget experts to troubled states for Medicaid help

February 24, 2011

In an effort to help keep Medicaid off the chopping block in states with budget shortfalls, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has offered to send teams of HHS staffers to states that request assistance.
 

Sebelius defends CLASS Act, admits changes to be made

February 08, 2011

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended the CLASS Act, the Affordable Care Act's long-term care insurance program, on Monday in remarks at a Kaiser Family Foundation event.
 

AHA asks Sebelius to scale back meaningful use requirements

December 03, 2010

In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the American Hospital Association said it has found that hospitals have significantly less flexibility when it comes to demonstrating 'meaningful use' of electronic medical records.
 

Open enrollment for Medicare Part D drug program sparks debate

October 26, 2010

In preparation for the Medicare Part D open enrollment period, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it has streamlined its coverage options and eliminated choices it considered repetitive. But critics of the changes charge that eliminating such options undermines the spirit of President Obama's pledge, "If you like your plan you can keep it."
 

Beneficiary groups endorse plan to simplify Medicare Part D

October 11, 2010

A number of Medicare beneficiary advocacy groups have voiced support for a plan from the Department of Health and Human Services to simplify the Medicare Part D program. They want to reduce the number of available plans.
 

HHS holds summit on healthcare reform's impact on quality

October 05, 2010

The Department of Health and Human Services Monday hosted the National Summit on Health Care Quality and Value in Washington, D.C.
 

Government releases funding to help older adults navigate long-term care

September 28, 2010

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Monday said $68 million in grant money is available to help seniors, the disabled and their caregivers better understand options for long-term care.
 
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