POLL: Can the Health Reform Law Stand Without the Individual Mandate?
The Obama administration on Friday said that if the Supreme Court strikes down the federal health reform law’s individual mandate, most of the law can remain intact. Plaintiffs in the case have argued that the entire law must be voided if the mandate is struck down.
In a brief filed with the court, Department of Justice lawyers noted that just two provisions would need to be eliminated if justices deem the mandate unconstitutional.
However, Karen Harned of the National Federation of Independent Business, a plaintiff in the case, said that the mandate holds the reform law together. She added, “To argue otherwise would be like arguing a house can stand after its foundation has crumbled.”
AHL’S TOP STORY: DOJ Brief Argues Most of Reform Law Can Stand Without Individual Mandate
The Obama administration last week said that if the Supreme Court strikes down the federal health reform law’s individual mandate, most of the law can remain intact, Politico reports. Plaintiffs in the case have argued that the entire law must be voided if the mandate is struck down (Haberkorn, Politico, 1/27).
[Ed. Note: For background on the Supreme Court's review of the federal health reform law, click here.]
In a brief filed with the court, Department of Justice lawyers noted that just two provisions would need to be eliminated if justices deem the mandate unconstitutional: one requiring health insurers to accept individuals regardless of their health status and the other prohibiting insurers from charging higher premiums based on an individual’s medical history (Vicini, Reuters, 1/27). Read the rest of this entry »
THE FRIDAY RUNDOWN: If You Ignore It, Maybe It Won’t Go Away
As February looms, it’s becoming a matter of days, not months, before the Supreme Court begins hearing the case against the federal health reform law.
IT’S OH SO QUIET: Democrats, led by President Obama, have come to a collective hush on the federal health reform law. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama spent little time discussing the federal health reform law.
In fact, Obama’s speech included just 44 words on the overhaul, far fewer than in his previous addresses. During the address, he said that the makeup of the overhaul — which he noted relies on a “reformed private market, not a government program” — is a sign that he is willing to work with Republicans.
Obama also said he “will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage or charge women differently from men.”
AHL’S TOP STORY: GAO Report Finds as Much as $3.1B in MA Overpayments in 2010
A new Government Accountability Office report found that Medicare Advantage plans in 2010 were overpaid by between $1.2 billion and $3.1 billion, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” reports (Pecquet, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 1/26).
[Ed. Note: For background on Medicare Advantage payment rates, click here.]
According to the report, the overpayments resulted from a faulty risk adjustment process that overstated beneficiaries’ sicknesses, which triggered the higher payment rates (Wayne, Bloomberg, 1/27). The report suggests that private insurers are more attentive about noting disease diagnoses that garner higher reimbursements (Sanger-Katz, National Journal, 1/26).
The report, which House Democrats requested, calls on CMS to improve the accuracy of the risk score adjustment by readjusting the diagnostic coding system (Daly, Modern Healthcare, 1/26). The report did not identify plans that received the overpayments, Bloomberg reports (Bloomberg, 1/27).
Read the rest of this entry »
Blogger vs. Blogger: Why Didn’t Obama Spend More Time on Health Reform?
President Obama in his State of the Union address on Tuesday spent little time discussing health care and the federal health reform law. Obama’s speech included just 44 words on health reform, far fewer than in his previous addresses.
Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog”and Forbes‘ Robert Book had different conclusions on why Obama said so little about the overhaul.
AHL’S TOP STORY: GOP Will Release Alternative Health Reform Plan After Supreme Court Rules on Overhaul
House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) yesterday said that the GOP will release an alternative to the federal health reform law after the Supreme Court rules on the law’s constitutionality, Politico reports (Haberkorn, Politico, 1/25).
Republicans last year unsuccessfully attempted to repeal the reform law, as well as some of its individual provisions (American Health Line, 7/6/11). However, the “replace” portion of their “repeal and replace” strategy never came to fruition (Baker, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 1/25).
Pitts said, “We will be ready to respond to the Supreme Court decision, which is expected in June, with a replacement package.”
He said the plan likely will include proposals that Republicans have long supported, such as:
- Giving tax breaks for health insurance to workers instead of employers;
- Limiting medical malpractice suits;
- Allowing insurers to sell plans across state lines (Politico, 1/25); and
- Creating state-based high-risk pools funded by the government instead of requiring private insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions (“Healthwatch,” The Hill, 1/25).
WHAT WE’RE READING: Are You There God? It’s Me, Tummy.
- “Rick Warren and Church Tackle Obesity,” CNN: 50% diet, 50% faith. What exercise? Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’S TOP STORY: Obama’s SOTU Address, GOP Response Light on Health Care, Overhaul
Health Reform and the State of the Union: From Start to Finish (and After)
AHLAlerts closely followed the State of the Union speech last night. Here, in chronological order, is our coverage and some post-speech media reactions.
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STATE OF THE UNION: The Health Care Takeaways
Tonight, President Obama delivered his fourth State of the Union address before a joint Congress. Although his speech this year focused primarily on the economy, jobs, taxes and energy, Obama briefly mentioned a few issues related to health care.
On innovation in health care:
Obama said that “discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched.” He urged Congress, “Don’t gut these investments in our budget.”
On the benefits of the federal health reform law:
Obama called out health insurers and pledged that he would “not go back to the days when [they] had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.”
On federal regulation in health care:
Obama called for “smart regulations to prevent … faulty medical devices” from reaching consumers. He noted that his administration is “getting rid of regulations that don’t work,” adding, “That’s why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.”
On entitlement reforms:
Obama said he is “prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.”
Note: We’ll have more coverage and analysis about the speech in American Health Line tomorrow morning.
