Category: Law

Hood: Don’t squander the coming surplus

… detriment as well as their own.) Recessionary prospects aren’t the only reasons to save. North Carolina’s state health plan and pension fund are underfunded by billions of dollars. Past politicians promised generous benefits to teachers and state …

Majority of primary care docs oppose repeal of Obamacare: Survey

A majority of primary care doctors oppose full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine . Researchers polled 426 internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, geriatricians and family doctors and found that only 15 percent agree with a complete dismantling of the controversial health reform law known as Obamacare.

Fight Is On To Protect Health Care In California, Says Foundation Head

As Republicans seek to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, advocacy organizations around the nation are strategizing on how best to respond. Do they defend the law at all costs? Do they take part in the repeal conversation so they can help design an alternative? Already, numerous groups are mobilizing patients and health care advocates to raise awareness of the impact of a repeal.

Trying to solve the Alzheimer’s puzzle

… of the 21st Century Cures Act, public funding for Alzheimer’s research has been rising. The National Institutes of Health allocated almost $1 billion to Alzheimer’s research in fiscal 2016 – a $350 million increase over the previous year, according …

Gov. seeks 4.3 percent spending hike in state’s first $40B budget

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday is filing a $40.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2018, boosting state spending by around $1.655 billion while also calling for reforms to the health insurance market and tax policy changes aimed at responding to modern commerce.  Baker’s third annual budget represents 4.3 percent gross spending growth over projected spending for the current fiscal year, including a $997 million increase for MassHealth, a $117 million increase in education spending, a $29 million increase in debt service and a $40 million increase in unrestricted local aid, according to administration officials.  The spending plan, the first in state history to exceed the $40 billion mark, relies on a forecast of $27 billion in tax collections next year.  Baker wrote in a message to lawmakers that his proposal “responsibly budgets for a $98 million deposit to the … (more)

Senate Democrats, GOP at loggerheads over ACA repeal, HHS nominee

Senate Democrats on Tuesday grilled Rep. Tom Price, MD , President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, on a host of healthcare issues, but most prominently regarding Republican intentions to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Price was on the hot seat for four hours during a Senate Finance Committee hearing considering his nomination for HHS Secretary.

Senate Democrats, GOP at loggerheads over ACA repeal, HHS nominee

Senate Democrats on Tuesday grilled Rep. Tom Price, MD , President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, on a host of healthcare issues, but most prominently regarding Republican intentions to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Price was on the hot seat for four hours during a Senate Finance Committee hearing considering his nomination for HHS Secretary.

What to consider with ’55-plus’ living

… deal.” a Finances: Sure, a fancy fitness center and a golf course are nice – but is the community in good financial health? You should review the financial records of the homeowners’ association and the minutes of monthly meetings. How big is the …

U.S. District Court Blocks Proposed Aetna-Humana Merger

The health insurance companies Aetna and Humana have been blocked in their attempt to merge their businesses by a federal judge, who issued a 158-page opinion preempting the deal earlier this week. The two companies made their case around the belief that the merger of the two businesses would create a more efficient operation, which would allow the anticipated savings to be passed on to consumers.

Illinois to Congress: Don’t Be ‘Hasty’ with Health Law Repeal

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration has sent a letter to GOP congressional leaders asking them to avoid “hasty” or “incomplete” action as they proceed with a planned repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The Jan. 17 letter says Congress and the states “must work together” to achieve “important reforms” in health care policy.

Medicaid takes center stage as Democrats grill Tom Price

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump was emphatic that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that poor Americans can get the health care they need. But in Trump’s first days as president, it is becoming increasingly clear that he and his administration are open to making drastic changes to Medicaid – a move that could make it difficult for Trump to fulfill his impassioned campaign promise to take care of the poor.

Trump administration pulls ads for healthcare.gov

The Trump administration says it is pulling back advertising to promote HealthCare.gov as open enrollment draws to a close for this year. The Health and Human Services Department said in a statement Thursday that the government has withdrawn about $5 million in ads as part of an effort to cut costs.

GOP senators present Obamacare alternative

… as an “Obamacare replacement plan.” The duo is promising that the proposal would give more power to the states on health care policy, increase access to affordable insurance and help cover millions of Americans who are currently uninsured. …

Official confident Trump could clear Kansas Medicaid program

Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, speaks to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, responding to a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that Kansas’ Medicaid program is “substantively out of compliance” with U.S. law. less Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, speaks to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, responding to a report from the Centers for Medicare … more TOPEKA, Kan.

Sens. Moore, Chandler in middle of skirmish over dental care access

On Beacon Hill “teeth” are often invoked as a metaphor for regulatory power, but this session the actual molars, incisors and gums of people lacking access to dental care will return to the legislative agenda, as rival approaches appear destined to come to a head. A dental group that has disagreed with health care advocates over the proposed creation of a new midlevel dentistry occupation has now embraced the advocates’ general approach to expanding dental access, though differences remain.

Judge blocks Aetna’s $37 billion deal for Humana

A federal judge Tuesday blocked the merger of two health insurance giants, Aetna and Humana, upholding the Justice Department’s verdict that the proposed $37 billion deal would hurt competition. U.S. District Court Judge John Bates wrote in his opinion that the proposed merger would have decreased competition substantially in the Medicare Advantage market in 364 counties.

Federal judge swats Aetna-Humana insurer combo

… renewal payment, enter a vacation stop, report a missed delivery, or submit a complaint. A federal judge has rejected health insurer Aetna’s plan to buy rival Humana Inc. for about $34 billion and become a major player in the market for Medicare …

Facing skeptical lawmakers, state officials strike at critical KanCare report

The agency that oversees KanCare on Monday called a scathing federal report against the Medicaid program incomplete and criticized the quality of its analysis under intense questioning by lawmakers. Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, defended the program and its employees in a tense appearance before the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

Federal judge swats Aetna-Humana insurer combo

A federal judge has rejected health insurer Aetna’s plan to buy rival Humana Inc. for about $34 billion and become a major player in the market for Medicare Advantage coverage. U.S. District Judge John Bates says in an opinion filed Monday that he largely agrees with federal regulators who contended that such a combination would hurt competition.

The giant Aetna-Humana merger has been blocked

The deal, in which Aetna proposed to buy Humana for $37 billion , has been ruled anticompetitive by US District Judge John Bates. “In this case, the government alleged that the merger of Aetna and Humana would be likely to substantially lessen competition in markets for individual Medicare Advantage plans and health insurance sold on the public exchanges,” Bates’ decision said.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act will kill more than 43,000 people annually

David Himmelstein is a professor of public health at the City University of New York at Hunter College, a Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. Steffie Woolhandler is a professor of public health at the City University of New York at Hunter College, a Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a founder of Physicians for a National Health Program.