health care reform Archives

Jun 28, 2017

Senate Health Care Bill -No July 4th Celebration

Today, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. KY.) announced that the health care bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will not be put up for a vote in the Senate until after the July 4th holiday. According to the New York Times (6/27, Steinhauer, Subscription Publication), it appears that he “miscalculated in the first round of play.” He is said to have “put his legislative thumb on the scale in favor of conservatives, quickly alienating” other senators including Sens. Susan Collins (R. ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R. AK). Other Senators have also opposed the Medicaid eligibility… Read more

Jun 26, 2017

Health Care Bill-Opposition Continues While CBO to Weigh In On Cost

As previously discussed in this blog, a discussion draft of the Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) was introduced in the Senate last Thursday. Since that time, in addition to unanimous condemnation from the Democrats, including rallies by former Presidential candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.), several Republican Senators have also voiced their opposition to portions of the bill. In some cases, it is demand for including certain provisions, such as opioid treatment. But the key point of contention appears to be the bill’s treatment of Medicaid. As a reminder, Medicaid is a Federal/State collaboration, with… Read more

Jun 22, 2017

Senate Health Care Bill Introduced Today

The Senate health care bill, titled as the “Better Care Reconciliation Act” was introduced today. The discussion draft of the bill ( a mere 142 pages) is the Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the House. Included in the draft is an additional $50 billion over four years to stabilize insurance exchanges. It also includes $15 billion a year in market-stabilizing funds over the next two years and $10 billion a year in 2020 and 2021. Under this bill, cost-sharing subsidy payments will remain available. $62 billion has also been allocated over eight years for… Read more

Jun 21, 2017

Coming Tomorrow-Draft of Senate Health Care Bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stated today that a discussion draft of the Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) will be presented tomorrow, with plans for a vote next week before the July 4th break. He also stated that, although the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) still has to determine the cost of the bill, he expected that process would be completed next week. Under the House version of the AHCA, an estimated 23 million people could lose their health care according to the CBO. Senator McConnell said on Tuesday that the Senate health-care bill would… Read more

Jun 20, 2017

Senate May Vote on Health Care Next Week (Quietly)

As reported in several media outlets, the Senate appears ready to schedule a vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As mentioned in my blog yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants a vote on the bill before the July 4 recess. The fate of Medicaid expansion and tax credits to consumers, sticking points for many Senate Republicans, appear to be close to resolution. Under an option being strongly considered, the AHCA would include deeper financial cuts to Medicaid, which may draw criticism from some Republican governors who desire… Read more

May 25, 2017

CBO Scores the American Health Care Act Passed by the House – Cuts Deficit and Number of People Insured

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has just released its estimate of the impact of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4th of this year. (As a reminder, the AHCA was passed by the House before the nonpartisan CBO could determine its impact.) According to the CBO, when compared to the current Affordable Care Act (ACA), the AHCA would leave 23 million more people uninsured while reducing the cumulative federal deficit by $119 billion over the next ten years. The CBO also estimates that insurance premiums under the AHCA will increase by… Read more

Nov 15, 2013

Rewind on ACA: If You Like Your Current Health Plan, You Can Keep It For Now – If The Insurance Company Lets You

By: Laura Miller Andrew Today, President Obama announced that individuals and small businesses who currently have health insurance policies that do not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act that have received or will be receiving cancellation notices because of ACA requirements, can renew the policies for another year if they meet certain conditions. The coverage had to be in effect on October 1, 2013 and the health insurance issuer must send a notice to all individuals and small businesses that received (or are scheduled to receive) a cancellation or termination notice. This notice must include specific information including: (1) any… Read more

Oct 29, 2013

Opening of the Health Insurance Marketplace Focuses Employees on Health Care

By Laura Miller Andrew The opening of the health insurance marketplace on October 1, 2013, has helped employees focus on their own health care coverage. Health care coverage has moved front and center, with the press publicizing the new marketplace exchanges, and politicians debating health care reform funding. As employers enter the “open enrollment” process for their group health plans, employees are much more engaged in learning about their health care plans and the costs associated with that coverage. The health coverage provided through employer sponsored plans is often superior to the health coverage options offered on the exchange. However, employees may pay more for… Read more

Oct 24, 2013

HealthCare.gov is Sick- Open Enrollment Period Extended

By Laura Miller Andrew As covered extensively in the media, HealthCare.gov, the online Marketplace for health care coverage under PPACA is not feeling well. After weeks of frustration, President Obama conceded that the website is not working as intended, making it very difficult for the average consumer to sign up for a health care policy. Therefore, it was announced today that the open enrollment period will be extended from October 1st to March 31st. Under PPACA, most individuals who are not covered by health insurance for three months or longer face a financial penalty. In order for the insurance to take effect,… Read more

Jul 10, 2013

IRS Releases Additional Guidance on Postponement of “Play or Pay”

Posted by: Kate Bongiovanni As mentioned in our Health Care blog posts from last week, employers will now have an additional year – until 2015 – to begin complying with the mandatory reporting obligations and play or pay provisions of PPACA. Yesterday, the IRS released formal guidance regarding this transitional relief. Our Client Alert addressing this guidance can be accessed here. Despite the transitional relief, it appears that employers may still need to perform the “minimum value” analysis (i.e., the 60% test) for their group health plans for the 2014 plan year. Please stay tuned – we will keep you… Read more