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The Florida Senate has scuttled the plan to require women to have ultrasound exams prior to abortions in the first trimester and to be forced to see the fetus. The Senate had a 20-20 vote with moderate Republicans voting with Democrats to sink the measure. Ultrasounds are required by law in the other two trimesters prior to abortion. Top
A last warning to physicians. The NPI deadline is next week. If you do not have an NPI by May 23 you will not be paid by Medicare. It is easy to do online and only take several minutes. There is no excuse for not getting this done.
The Illinois legislature is going to take up a bill that would limit the amount of money that any uninsured patient would have to pay for hospital care in any one year. The bill would also limit how much hospitals could charge uninsured people. The Illinois Hospital Association is for the bill. The bill would allow the hospital to bill the actual cost plus a 35% markup. To qualify a family of four could make up to $127,000 and an individual up to $62,400 in urban areas and up to $63,000 for a family of four and up to $31,200 for an individual in a rural area. The cap would by no more than 25% of the patient's gross annual income per year. There would also be an asset test so people with high assets and little income could not avoid payments.
Missouri is in a quandary. The House committee is considering a bill passed overwhelmingly in the Senate called Insure Missouri. The chair will not let the bill out of committee until the Missouri Hospital Assn. agrees to getting rid of the old useless CON requirements. The Hospital Association will not do that since they do not want any competition. There was nothing in the original bill about CON but the committee chair will not put out a bill that will cost the taxpayers large amount of money unless there is some decrease in medical expenses by competition. The session ends in two weeks so that the original bill is probably dead for this year.
In Minnesota, the Legislature has passed a health care bill that is not what the Governor wants. The bill was watered down from the original and now only spends much less than originally thought. However, the governor wanted to use some of the health fund to balance the state budget. There will be almost no money left from the reserves to do anything since the bill would increase Medicaid spending. The Governor vetoed the bill as an unfunded mandate.
Louisiana is considering a bill that would establish a three person panel to evaluate if medical personnel responded appropriately during a disaster. The panel would recommend either prosecuting or not medical personnel. The panel would be optional, not mandatory. Seems like a waste when common sense should apply unless the DA is up for reelection.
Congress has passed and the President has stated he will sign a bill to bar bias by insurers based on gene studies.
For whatever reason the Congressional Democrats are dead set for providing another entitlement program for Medicaid. This would be for only $13 Billion that the President wants to cut from the program over the next few years. They have never seen an entitlement program they haven't loved, especially if unfunded. The hospital association that love to bribe (lobby) congress is again on this bill since it would cut funding for their slave labor of interns and residents.
The AHA will continue to attempt to bribe their Democratic lackeys to take away the self referral provisions that now allow competition with hospitals. They believe that there are enough Democrats up for reelection that want their money at this time. The AHA has been criticized by the OIG for "misspeaking" (lying) in order to goad Congress into acting on its behalf. Top
The Joint Commission continues to work on MS 1.20. They have evened out the committee with the appointment of two physicians and also named a neutral chair. There was a subcommittee named and a list for discussion was made. This will last until the hospital attorneys back down from their stance on economic credentialing and leave medical staff issues to medical staffs. Top
DISCLAIMER: Although this
article is updated periodically, it reflects the author's point of view at the
time of publication. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice. Readers
should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the
information presented.