Tag archives: health insurance

Judge declares ACA unconstitutional

Photo of Jeff Wurzburg (US)By Jeff Wurzburg (US) on Posted in News from DC
On Friday, December 14, Judge Reed O’Connor of the Federal District Court in the Northern District of Texas issued a declaratory judgment holding the shared responsibility provision (also referred to as the “Individual Mandate”), and with it, the entire Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), to be unconstitutional. The case is Texas v. United States and California … Continue reading

The US Departments of HHS, Labor, and Treasury finalize expanded access to short-term, limited duration insurance

Photo of Jeff Wurzburg (US)By Jeff Wurzburg (US) on Posted in Regulatory
On August 1 the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) published a final rule that will expand the availability of short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI).  A Health Law Pulse summary of the proposed rule may be read here.  STLDI is not required to comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) … Continue reading

The US Departments of HHS, Labor, and Treasury propose expanded access to short-term, limited duration insurance

Photo of Jeff Wurzburg (US)By Jeff Wurzburg (US) on Posted in Regulatory
On February 20, 2018, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (the Departments) published a proposed rule to expand the availability of short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI) in order to “provide more affordable consumer choice for health coverage.”  The proposed rule follows President Trump’s October 12, 2017 Executive Order directing the Departments to … Continue reading

Congressional hearings held on the Trump administration’s FY 2019 budget request and health care industry consolidation

Photo of Jeff Wurzburg (US)By Jeff Wurzburg (US) on Posted in News from DC
On February 14, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced projections that national health care spending is expected to increase an average of 5.5% a year between 2017 – 2026 and will account for almost 20% of Gross Domestic Product by 2026.  This announcement provides context for the continued focus on controlling … Continue reading

The US Department of Labor proposes expanded access to association health plans

Photo of Jeff Wurzburg (US)By Jeff Wurzburg (US) on Posted in Regulatory
Pursuant to President Donald J. Trump’s October 12, 2017 Executive Order instructing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to consider expanding access to association health plans (AHP), the DOL published a proposed rule on January 5, 2018 that would modify ERISA regulations to increase the availability of AHPs.  Association health plans have been defined as … Continue reading

U.S. Senate passes tax bill eliminating penalties for failure to comply with ACA individual health insurance mandate

Photo of Thomas Dowdell (US)By Thomas Dowdell (US) on Posted in News from DC
On December 2, the U.S. Senate passed a tax bill by a 51-49 vote.  The legislation would not repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual health insurance mandate but instead would eliminate tax penalties for con-compliance with the mandate.  Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announced her support for the bill in a press release in which … Continue reading

Federal judge rejects preliminary injunction mandating ACA cost-sharing reduction payments; CBO estimates $3.8 billion deficit reduction from bipartisan ACA bill

Photo of Thomas Dowdell (US)By Thomas Dowdell (US) on Posted in News from DC
On Wednesday, October 25, Judge Vince Chhabria, federal district court in San Francisco, rejected a request for a  preliminary injunction by 18 states and the District of Columbia to compel the Trump Administration to continue to pay cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to health insurance companies.  Judge Chhabria concluded:  (i) States have been preparing for months … Continue reading

Senators Alexander and Murray release draft bill intended to stabilize the ACA marketplaces

Health Law PulseBy on Posted in News from DC
On October 17, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) announced a bipartisan proposal intended to stabilize Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces and relax ACA State Innovation Waiver restrictions. On October 19, Chairman Alexander released the proposed health care bill known as the Bipartisan … Continue reading

US Senators Graham and Cassidy revise Affordable Care Act repeal legislation prior to Finance Committee hearing; AHA requests CMS guidance on hospital co-location and shared space arrangements

Photo of Thomas Dowdell (US)By Thomas Dowdell (US) on Posted in News from DC
On Sunday evening, September 24, U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) released a revised version of their Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal legislation in advance of the Senate Finance Committee hearing scheduled for Monday, September 25, at 2 PM EST. The amended bill is similar to the legislation previously released in … Continue reading

CMS issues blanket waivers as a result of Hurricane Harvey; health care reform efforts continue

Photo of Thomas Dowdell (US)By Thomas Dowdell (US) on Posted in News from DC
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued several blanket waivers of Medicare requirements as a result of Hurricane Harvey.  Examples of requirements that CMS may waive include those relating to conditions of Medicare participation or certification, preapproval requirements, EMTALA requirements, Stark Law self-referral sanctions, and performance deadlines.  Providers do not need to … Continue reading

CBO releases report on effects of terminating ACA cost-sharing reduction payments; CMS proposes to end two incentive payment models

Health Law PulseBy on Posted in News from DC
On August 15, the Congressional Budget Office (“CBO”) released a report on the effects of terminating payments to insurers for cost-sharing reductions under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) in 2017. The CBO estimated that by 2018, insurance premiums for silver plans would increase by 20 percent and leave 5 percent of Americans living in areas … Continue reading

CMS extends deadline for health insurers to file 2018 rate requests; bipartisan group of experts advocates certain health reform initiatives

Photo of Thomas Dowdell (US)By Thomas Dowdell (US) on Posted in Regulatory
On August 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent a memorandum to insurers announcing an extension of the deadline by almost three weeks until September 5 for insurers to file their 2018 rate requests.  Insurers are wrestling with whether to participate in the Affordable Care Act exchanges/marketplaces in 2018, and if so, the … Continue reading
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