December 03, 2012
With deficit reduction all the rage in Washington, the central question remains: Where might funding cuts and revenue streams come from? Medicare is clearly in the crosshairs, continuing to make providers anxious as deficit reduction talks stretched into the weekend.
September 04, 2012
While Mitt Romney advocates $810 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, President Obama's plan would cost taxpayers an additional $642 billion over the same period. The president's plan would also add millions of people as Medicaid beneficiaries.
August 09, 2012
The Obama Administration has one month to issue a report detailing whether Medicare providers will see 2% across-the-board cuts based on legislation signed by the president Tuesday.
The Obama Administration is pushing the Senate Democrats to hold a confirmation hearing for Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to news reports.
May 15, 2012
Wealthy seniors should pay more in Medicare premiums, according to a brief from the conservative Heritage Foundation.
The $80 million President Obama designated to Alzheimer's research could have more strings attached to it than previously thought, a key senator has said.
The National Labor Relations Board was deemed to be within its legal rights with its requirement that employers post notices about unionization rights, a U.S. district judge has ruled.
February 14, 2012
While President Obama's proposed 2013 budget contains expected Medicare cuts, long-term care groups have expressed their disappointment. Among other proposals, the American Health Care Association criticized a provision of the budget that would "align Medicare policy more closely with private sector standards by reducing bad debt payments to 25% for all eligible providers over three years starting in 2013."
February 01, 2012
All we wanted was a nugget, a morsel, a few bread crumbs maybe. And this is what we got instead? Lord, help us.
January 18, 2012
With Congress back in session, House Republicans are back at trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act's disability insurance benefit.
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.
December 23, 2011
The House and Senate voted Friday morning to pass a two-month extension of the so-called "doc fix," preventing a scheduled 27.4% cut in Medicare payments for physicians.
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.
September 22, 2011
The Obama administration says that proposed reimbursement cuts to Medicare and Medicaid providers shield beneficiaries from access-to-care difficulties, but some experts aren't so sure.
September 15, 2011
President Obama, much to the dismay of fellow Democrats and healthcare providers, is expected to ask Congress and its super committee to find $300 billion to $500 billion of savings over a decade in entitlement programs.
Provider groups are concerned that President Obama's newly unveiled $447 billion jobs plan will eat away at job growth in the healthcare sector, which is one place advocates say the economy is growing.
White House budget chief Jacob Lew has asked all federal agency heads to submit spending plans for the approaching budget that are 5% below this year's spending, according to Lew's fiscal year 2013 budget guidance.
June 22, 2011
The National Labor Relations Board proposed new rules Tuesday that would shorten the lag time between a union petitioning for an election and holding a secret-ballot vote.
The Affordable Care Act's Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel created by the law to contain Medicare costs, is now drawing criticism from both major political parties.
June 09, 2011
Residents of Massachusetts are increasingly supportive of the state's 2006 universal healthcare law, lending belief to the idea that the national Affordable Care Act will gain more public support over time.
The U.S. Senate's vote rejecting Republicans' proposed 2012 budget — and all of its provisions to drastically overhaul Medicare and Medicaid — means both sides are back to debating how to best balance the federal budget.
Embattled Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick received a shot of support recently from a number of high-profile colleagues in the medical field, according to news sources.
President Obama is expected to release his budget proposal for fiscal 2012 on Monday, and it's not a document long-term care providers are happily anticipating. Lobbying intensified over the last several weeks, as advocates for many industries and groups—long-term care certainly among them-pushed statistics favorable to their cause. Some fear a call for significant Medicare and Medicaid cuts in the president's proposal. That would, no doubt, kick off a round of even more intense lobbying.
The Affordable Care Act would not keep healthcare costs down, testified David Foster, chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, before the House Budget Committee.
January 28, 2011
President Obama announced Wednesday that he has renominated Donald Berwick to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, six months after naming him chief during a Congressional recess. The first time, Obama bypassed what promised to be contentious Senate confirmation hearings. But this week's move is expected to put Berwick back on the hot seat with many lawmakers.
January 27, 2011
President Obama defiantly said he would fight any repeal efforts to his health care reform platform but added in his State of the Union address Tuesday night that he would remain open to ideas for improving it. He also called for more spending cuts to Medicare and Medicaid but didn't offer any specifics.
January 05, 2011
House Republicans, who will take control of the chamber today, intend to stick to their campaign promise to cut domestic spending by $100 billion.
The National Labor Relations Board is proposing requiring companies to put notices of employees' right to unionize on bulletin boards and maybe via e-mail.
December 17, 2010
President Obama this week signed a measure that will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2011, restore the implementation date of RUG-IV to 2010 and delay a Medicare payment cut to doctors.
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report Wednesday calling on the Obama administration to develop a more efficient electronic healthcare records system.
