Over the past several years, the ACR has ramped up its efforts in advocacy. Under the leadership of the Government Affairs Committee, many ACR staff, members and their patients, considerable progress has been made moving priority issues forward in 2015. A few highlights from 2015 include: The Patients’ Access to Treatment Act (PATA) was introduced…
On Nov. 2, 2015, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The Act contained a nasty surprise change to Social Security claiming strategies. Two commonly recommended strategies are known as file and suspend and restricted application. Both of these strategies will be going away, but not immediately. A lucky few will be grandfathered in….
(Reuters)—U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said on Monday he has placed a hold on President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration until the agency agrees to reform its process for approving opioid painkillers. Markey wants future opioid-approval matters to be reviewed by an FDA advisory committee, and believes the committee…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Aetna Inc.’s plan to buy smaller insurer Humana Inc. for $31 billion will mean seniors will pay higher Medicare Advantage premiums, according to a new report by the think tank Center for American Progress (CAP). Aetna’s proposed deal for Humana would combine Aetna’s 7% of the Medicare Advantage market with Humana’s 19%, and make…
(Reuters)—The U.S. government has suspended new enrollment in Cigna Corp’s Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors and standalone Medicare prescription drug plans, citing noncompliance in its appeals and grievances procedures. The government said Cigna had deficiencies in its appeals and grievances processes in both Medicare Advantage and the Medicare prescription drug program, according to a…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Supreme Court, which delivered major rulings in 2012 and 2015 preserving President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, on Tuesday declined to take up a new, long-shot challenge to Obamacare brought by an Iowa artist. The court turned away an appeal by Matt Sissel, who had asserted that the 2010 Affordable Care Act…
In 2015, ACR members were powerful advocates on important issues affecting public health and rheumatology. But we should not forget about an important resource—patients, each of whom can bring unique perspectives to legislators in Washington, D.C. Working together, our voices are stronger. Here’s how your patients can work with the ACR to advocate for their health and rheumatology…
hgh(Reuters Health)—High-deductible health insurance plans have been tied to lower healthcare spending, but a new study suggests the reason is not that enrollees in those plans are savvier. High-deductible plans have lower premiums, but when enrollees need medical care, it costs them more out-of-pocket. Researchers had expected that these patients are spending less because they’re…
(Reuters)—The chief executive of HCA Holdings Inc. on Monday said he expects the Affordable Care Act to drive more growth for the U.S. hospital operator in 2016 as Americans sign up for insurance coverage through exchanges created under the law. “We are very encouraged by the open enrollment results so far,” R. Milton Johnson, CEO…
Health insurance plans are increasingly favoring tiered physician networks, which some fear have the potential to limit patient access to such specialties as rheumatology to achieve short-term cost reduction…