Month: July 2014

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) could take significant steps to improve the contract planning and oversight practices that led to the failed launch of Healthcare.gov last October, an official from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified today at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee.  CMS was aware up to six months before the launch of HealthCare.gov that the portal for the Federally Facilitated Marketplaces (FFM) would not be ready for the July 2013 launch, according to the newly released GAO report, including estimates in the spring of 2013 that only 65 percent of the website would be ready for the October 1 launch.

Continue reading “CMS Says Year-2 Open Enrollment May Have ‘Bumps’”

Both chambers of Congress were in session last week, as lawmakers looked to complete work on several legislative priorities before the upcoming August recess. Last Friday, the House voted 237-173 to pass legislation (H.R. 4935) to overhaul the child tax credit by requiring applicants to provide their Social Security numbers. Separately, the House voted 370-40 to approve a resolution (H.Con.Res.105) requiring Congressional authorization for a sustained presence of combat troops in Iraq.

Continue reading “TRP Health Policy Report”

Healthcare remained a dominant topic on Capitol Hill last week, punctuated by a bitter debate in the Senate over the Supreme Court’s recentHobby Lobby ruling. On Wednesday, lawmakers failed to advance a bill (S. 2578) that would require companies to provide contraceptive coverage in their employee healthcare plans. The Senate voted 56-43 against invoking cloture on the legislation, falling short of the 60 votes needed to move the bill forward. Senate Democrats introduced the bill to reverse the effects of last month’s Supreme Court ruling, which found that the government could not mandate that certain employers provide birth control coverage if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

Continue reading “TRP Health Policy Report”

Medicare still has significant room for improvement in incentivizing care coordination for individuals with multiple chronic conditions, lawmakers concluded at a Senate Finance Committee hearing today. In a hearing focused on the challenges of treating patients with chronic conditions, Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced that the Finance Committee will begin a months-long effort “to find bipartisan solutions to meet the challenges of chronic disease.” Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), ranking member on the Committee, added that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) “has long said that fee-for-service Medicare creates silos – incentivizing providers to deliver more care, not necessarily higher quality, coordinated care.” And after hearing testimony from patients, caregivers, providers, and health plans, senators responded in a bipartisan chorus that improved care coordination is the Holy Grail in improving outcomes for patients suffering from chronic illness.

Continue reading “Senators Focus on Coordinated Care in Battle Against Chronic Illness”

Last week, the House passed a fiscal 2015 Energy and Water spending bill (H.R. 4923), marking the midway point in the chamber’s appropriations process for fiscal 2015. The House has passed five other fiscal 2015 appropriations bills while the Senate has yet to approve any spending bills due to a partisan stalemate over amendments. In other floor activity, the House voted 258-160 for legislation (H.R. 4718) to make bonus depreciation tax breaks permanent. On Wednesday, the House ratified the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act by a 415-6 vote, sending the measure to President Obama’s desk.

Continue reading “TRP Health Policy Report”