CMA Capitol Insight: August 5, 2014 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They’re Baaaaack After a month-long recess, the California state legislature is back in session, ready for the final month of the legislative year. Gov. Jerry Brown is also back after a four-day trip to Mexico with a massive delegation of business leaders and state officials, preaching the gospel of climate change at every turn. Now that everyone has returned to Sacramento, we are all bracing for the sprint that marks the ... August 7, 2014 General Anthony York, Advocacy, State Legislative Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Congress allows veterans to seek care outside VA system Congress yesterday sent a $17 billion landmark bill to President Obama that will help U.S. veterans avoid long waits for health care within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). There was overwhelming support in both the Senate (91-3) and House (unanimous) for the bill, which will provide $10 billion in emergency spending over the next three years to allow veterans to seek care from private doctors and other health professionals due to delays in the VA system. Veterans would have access to private doctors if they could not get ... August 4, 2014 General Hospitals/Health Care Facilities, Quality of Care, Veterans, Federal Legislation 0 0 Comment Read More »
Two federal courts issue conflicting rulings on ACA premium subsidies Two federal appeals courts issued conflicting rulings last week on whether premium subsidies can be provided under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to individuals purchasing health insurance coverage on exchanges run by the federal government. The rulings will not, however, impact states like California that run their own exchanges. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a 2 to 1 vote, majority opinion said that the ACA’s language unambiguously restricts premium subsidies to insurance purchased on exchanges “established by the State,” and that the IRS’ ... August 4, 2014 General Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Exchange, ACA 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS issues proposed 2015 Medicare payment rule The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published the 2015 proposed Medicare physician payment rule in the Federal Register. The proposal contains several notable changes. The rule expands the services eligible for telemedicine reimbursement (psychotherapy services and the annual wellness visit). It also extends the new payment policies for non-face-to-face care coordination. It allows primary care physicians to be paid for care management of Medicare beneficiaries with two or more chronic conditions. These are tasks (including managing lab and imaging reports, medications and care plans in addition ... August 4, 2014 Medi-Cal, Medicare Insurance/Reimbursement, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medicare's financial outlook improves Trustees overseeing Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which finances about half the health program for seniors, said Monday in a report that the program won’t run out of money until 2030 – that’s four years later than projected last year and 13 years later than projected at the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The outlook for Medicare improved largely because of lower-than-expected hospital spending and savings resulting from the ACA. The effect of the new law encouraged providers and Medicare Advantage insurers to deliver care more cost-effectively and ... August 4, 2014 Medicare Affordable Care Act, Medicare, ACA 0 0 Comment Read More »
IOM report says financing for physician residency programs needs overhauling to meet nation's needs A report by the Institute of Medicine shows that the U.S. should significantly reform the federal system for financing physician training and residency programs to ensure that the public’s $15 billion annual investment is producing the doctors that the nation needs. Current financing – provided largely through Medicare – requires little accountability, allocates funds independent of workforce needs or educational outcomes, and offers insufficient opportunities to train physicians in the health care settings used by most Americans, the report says. For decades, teaching hospitals have received the majority of Medicare's funding ... August 4, 2014 General Insurance/Reimbursement, Physician Workforce, Residents and Fellows, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
