“Every year, thousands of people make a deal with their doctor: I’ll pay you a fixed annual fee, whether or not I need your services, and in return you’ll see me the day I call, remember who I am and what ails me, and give me your undivided attention. But this arrangement potentially poses a big threat to Medicare and to the new world of medical care envisioned under President Barack Obama’s health overhaul.”
“The problem is common here and across the country, especially as states, scrambling to balance their budgets, look for cuts in Medicaid, which is one of their biggest expenditures. And it presents the Obama administration with a major challenge, since the new federal health care law relies heavily on Medicaid to cover many people who now lack health insurance.”
“Contrary to federal government promises, ObamaCare will move Louisiana residents off their private insurance and further inflate Medicaid costs, as a new study shows.”
“In other words, the new rules constitute a detailed attempt by the federal government to tell primary care doctors, specialists, and other providers exactly how they should work together. Rather than encourage private, market-driven experimentation, ObamaCare’s ACOs create yet another model of care built around satisfying government rules and regulations.”
“Access, cost, and quality have long been known as the three-legged stool of health reform. It is hard to improve one without worsening the others. So trade-offs must be made.
But not this time. Congress decided it no longer had to make trade-offs. It could have its cake and eat it, too, by creating (drum roll)…tah daaaaah!…ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATIONS (ACOs)!!!!”
“The Senate is slated to take up a House-passed 1099 repeal bill on Tuesday morning that will likely pass, a Republican aide told The Hill on Thursday night. If the House-passed measure gains approval without being amended, the bill goes to President Obama for his signature. “
“Unfortunately, between now and then, the majority of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s other provisions will take effect. Implementing those provisions will require billions of dollars – money that could be for naught if the Supreme Court invalidates the law.”
“No doubt, the president will defend the new health law from every attack, even as he tries to deflate the repeal push with concessions aimed at undermining opposition without giving real ground.
But it is the law’s opponents who are most likely to bring up health care, not the president.
And that’s ironic. Because it’s clear Obama and those who passed the law consider it to be an historic achievement. But, having exhausted his first term securing its passage, the president will have to find some other rationale to justify requesting a second one.”
“Governor Rick Perry has reportedly prevented State Representative John Zerwas and other legislators from making a potentially fatal blunder in the fight against Obamacare. According to local media, the governor’s office has discouraged Rep. Zerwas from championing legislation establishing a state-based Obamacare Health Benefits Exchange in Texas.”
“A new article in Health Affairs brings attention to the problem of ‘churning’ in the eligibility requirements for subsidized ObamaCare. The study by Benjamin Sommers and Sara Rosenbaum looks at how often people will fall in and out of eligibility for, on one hand, Medicaid for people up to 133% of the poverty level, and on the other hand, subsidized coverage for those up to 400% of poverty in the Exchange.”