Duane Morris Health Law long_term_care:_reform_updates employers:_reform_regulations physicians:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_regulations hospitals:_reform_regulations hospitals:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Friday April 13, 2012 | By DuaneMorris3

On April 12, 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a final rule with comment period (“Final Rules”) implementing changes to the Medicare Advantage program and Medicare’s prescription drug benefit program, referred to as...

Duane Morris Health Law long_term_care:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_regulations physicians:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_regulations hospitals:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Thursday February 09, 2012 | By DuaneMorris3

On February 9, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury jointly issued final regulations pursuant to the Affordable Care Act regarding plain-language health insurance plan descriptions....

Duane Morris Health Law employers:_reform_regulations long_term_care:_reform_updates employers:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations | Healthcare Reform | Friday January 13, 2012 | By DuaneMorris3

On January 13, 2012 CMS issued Transmittal 153, implementing section 3108 of the Affordable Care Act which now allows physician assistants to perform level of care certifications and recertifications in skilled nursing facilities.  The physician assistant...

Duane Morris Health Law physicians:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_regulations hospitals:_reform_regulations long_term_care:_reform_updates employers:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations | Healthcare Reform | Tuesday December 20, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

On December 20, 2011 the Supreme Court of the United States set the date to hear challenges to the health care reform law.  On March 26 – 28 the Court will hear five-and-a-half hours of oral argument on the several challenges to the Affordable Care Act...

Duane Morris Health Law hospitals:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_regulations long_term_care:_reform_updates employers:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_regulations physicians:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations | Healthcare Reform | Friday December 16, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

On December 16, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a guidance bulletin detailing its current thinking on the implementation of ‘essential health benefits’ (EHB) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Specifically, the...

Duane Morris Health Law physicians:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations physicians:_reform_regulations | Healthcare Reform | Thursday December 08, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule today establishing the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) program.  The CO-OP program was established to provide financial support, in the...

Duane Morris Health Law physicians:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations physicians:_reform_regulations insurance_exchanges hospitals:_reform_updates employers:_reform_regulations long_term_care:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Monday November 21, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently cited as “excessive” a 12% insurance rate increase proposed by Everest Insurance under a Pennsylvania insurance plan.   HHS’ finding that the rate increase was excessive was the first such...

Duane Morris Health Law long_term_care:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations hospitals:_reform_updates employers:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_regulations physicians:_reform_regulations | Healthcare Reform | Monday November 14, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

In a highly anticipated decision, on November 14, 2011 the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in three cases on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”): National Federation of Independent Business v. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary...

Duane Morris Health Law long_term_care:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_regulations hospitals:_reform_regulations employers:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_regulations | Healthcare Reform | Tuesday November 08, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

On November 8, 2011, in the latest scrimmage regarding the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) individual mandate, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the mandate’s constitutionality.  The Court found that Congress could create “national solutions to...

Duane Morris Health Law physicians:_reform_regulations physicians:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_regulations hospitals:_reform_regulations | Healthcare Reform | Friday October 21, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

Yesterday afternoon the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the long anticipated final Accountable Care Organization (ACO) regulations, after considering the nearly 1200 comments submitted in response to the earlier proposed...

Duane Morris Health Law long_term_care:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Friday October 14, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

Late this afternoon the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS)Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pulled back a long-term care insurance program, the Class Act, that was passed under last year's Affordable Care Act.  The Class Act's goal was to create...

Duane Morris Health Law long_term_care:_reform_updates reform:_where_is_the_money | Healthcare Reform | Wednesday September 28, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) recently expanded the Money Follows the Person grant program to provide additional assistance to state grantees’ implementation of quality improvement strategies.  The Money Follows the Person program...

Duane Morris Health Law long_term_care:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_updates reform:_where_is_the_money physicians:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Tuesday September 27, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

HHS recently announced its expectation that Medicare Advantage premiums will fall approximately four percent in 2012, with enrollment expected to increase by 10 percent. This drop in premiums has been supported by the Affordable Care Act, which allowed CMS to...

Duane Morris Health Law hospitals:_reform_updates physicians:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_updates employers:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Tuesday September 13, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

On September 13, 2011, the United States District Court of the Middle District of Pennsylvania held that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate was unconstitutional as a violation of the Commerce Clause. In Goudy-Bachman v. U.S. Department of Health and...

Duane Morris Health Law physicians:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_updates employers:_reform_updates hospitals:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Friday August 12, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

On Friday, August 12, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that the individual mandate provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Act”) is an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’ power under the Commerce Clause of...

Duane Morris Health Law physicians:_reform_updates long_term_care:_reform_updates reform:_where_is_the_money funding hhs hospitals:_reform_updates | Healthcare Reform | Friday July 29, 2011 | By DuaneMorris3

On July 29, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would provide a total of $71.3 million in grant funding to expand the education and training of nurses and nursing diversity. The monies will be distributed among six...