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The Obama administration states that the new open enrollment period for those not aware that their taxes may be affected is for one year only. We will see as they have lied in the past.
The House has passed a bill authorizing trauma centers $100 million for uncompensated care. Another bill also passed the House for Trauma planning grants.
Boehner and Pelosi have agreed to stop the madness of the SGR. The $200 Billion permanent cut would be paid for with some cuts elsewhere. It would be helped by giving the Dems their CHIP funding. The conservative GOP members are against the bill since it would not b fully paid for. It has a chance this year. It has been introduced in both Houses of Congress.
The House Republicans have proposed a budget. This in itself is news but this one is balanced and has no chance of passing. They propose to get rid of Obamacare and change Medicare to make the more affluent pay a surcharge for Medicare. There would be no tax increases but more money for defense. Another exercise in political nonsense.
The House has passed overwhelmingly the SGR fix and the Senate will take it up after Easter. Obama said he will sign.
The VA has changed the interpretation of their 40 mile rule for allowing vets to seek private care. The new interpretation say the 40 miles is driving not as the crow flies meaning many more vets will be eligible to see private providers or in some cases physicians.
California Department of Mangled Health has fined three organizations. They are Aetna for $30,000 when they lied about medical necessity in a $100 case, $30,000 against Dental Choice of California for unfair provider payments and !5,000 to the Human Affairs International of California, a subsidy of Magellan Health for also paying claims late. The Dept. also reached a settlement with the Emergency Services Medical Company to stop balance billing and obtain a new agent for its billing. Top
The LA Times states California has pulled the plug on Blue Shield. They have removed its tax exempt label as of last August 28. This comes on the heels of criticism of the executive pay, rate hikes and a $4.2 Billion surplus. The insurer also does not service MediCal. California has ordered Blue Shield to file tax returns back to 2013. The San Francisco Business Times adds that the insurance commissioner believes the insurer illegally positioned various insurance products to be under the Dept. of Managed health rather than the Dept. of Insurance where they would need to pay $100 million in taxes annually. 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.