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| NAHU Releases New Single-Payer Infographic |
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This week, NAHU released a new infographic, the Single-Payer Tornado. It visually depicts five major consequences of adopting single-payer healthcare: eliminating upwards of 11 million U.S. jobs, forcing patients to wait for care, rationing prescription drugs, restricting research and development, and increasing taxes. By demonstrating how single-payer has affected other countries that have adopted such systems, the infographic shows what could happen if it were to be adopted in the U.S., either at the state or federal level... Read More |
| Value-Based Design Measures Included in Medicare Chronic Care Bills |
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Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced S. 870 last month. That bill, the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act, includes several provisions intended to improve the Medicare program through policies targeting traditional fee-for-service, Medicare Advantage (MA) and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). The CHRONIC Care Act is in its second iteration after having been previously introduced in December 2016... Read More |
| CCIIO Names New Director, Releases Direct Enrollment Guidance |
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On Thursday, Randy Pate was named the new director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), the sub-agency under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that is charged with overseeing the ACA’s marketplaces as well as agent and broker issues. He previously served as vice president of public policy for Health Care Service Corporation, a collection of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, and also served as a policy fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He replaces Kevin Counihan, who held the joint title of CCIIO director and HealthCare.gov CEO—a position that was created in 2014 by former Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell in the wake of the rocky launch of the federal marketplaces... Read More |
| NAHU Joins Coalition in Sending Comments on Medicare Welcome Package |
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Last Friday, NAHU signed onto a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma regarding the “Welcome to Medicare” packages. The letter included several recommendations to help ensure that people new to Medicare avoid harmful pitfalls, including increased healthcare costs and premiums, gaps in essential health coverage, and disruptions in access to needed care, often associated with honest Medicare enrollment mistakes. We specifically requested communication be included on when and how to enroll in coverage, placing a greater emphasis on coordination of benefits considerations, preserving content in multiple languages, creating standardized content based on the reason for Medicare eligibility, and using consistent branding and a uniform aesthetic on the “Welcome to Medicare” packages... Read More |
| Compliance Cornered: HSAs and Medicare Conflicts |
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Head over to the Compliance Cornered blog to check out our latest post: HSAs and Medicare Conflicts. Employees who have enjoyed the benefit of health savings accounts (HSAs) may be in for a taxing surprise when they enroll in Medicare. That’s because Medicare enrollment disqualifies someone from contributing to an HSA... Read More |
| What to Expect When the Senate Acts: This Week's Washington Update Podcast |
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The Senate is eagerly awaiting the Congressional Budget Office’s “score” of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which passed the House of Representatives last week. The score is expected to be released the week of May 22 and will update the AHCA’s previous score that showed the plan would save the government $337 billion over 10 years (later revised down to $150 billion) and lead to 52 million Americans without insurance. The bill requires a new score following several amendments that were added since March, including the MacArthur amendment to give more state flexibility. On this week’s podcast, NAHU’s Congressional Affairs Vice Presidents John Greene and Chris Hartmann and Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner discuss what the CBO score will mean for the Senate, what to expect as they work through the “Byrd Rule” process, the parts of the bill that are expected to be most contentious, and the timeline moving forward. To listen to the podcast, click here... Read More |
| Register Now for Next Week's Compliance Corner Webinar: Captives - Not Just for Fortune 500 Employers Anymore! |
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Join David Konrad, regional practice leader at Roundstone, for a NAHU member-exclusive Compliance Corner webinar on Thursday, May 18, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern titled, “Captives – Not Just for Fortune 500 Employers Anymore!” Now may be the time to slay the three-headed fully insured monster and look at partially self-funding with your middle market peers to reduce risk and share in the successful underwriting outcomes. Join us as we explore captive models, including live case studies from employers ranging from 20 to 1,500 employees... Read More |
| HUPAC Roundup |
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With over a week since the House passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the focus among political strategists and pundits has been on the 24 Republicans who voted yes on the bill and come from districts that Trump received less than 50% of the vote. That threshold is seen by strategists as a way to determine whether a district may be competitive. Democrats are hoping to ride the wave of enthusiasm of their base to regain the House majority. Below is a chart that outlines those 24 districts and their margins of victory for the candidate as well as the margin for Trump... Read More |
| What We're Reading |
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This week’s reading list includes helpful side-by-sides of the ACA and AHCA, which senators and policies to watch for in deliberations, what the left and right think of the future impact of reform efforts, and why “two scoops” is not just for Raisin Bran anymore... Read More |
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