Policy and Legislation

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released its annual recommendations to Congress on Tuesday, calling for a 1 percent pay increase for physicians.

The average per capita cost of healthcare services covered by commercial insurance and Medicare programs increased by 6.29 percent over the year ending in January, according to Standard & Poor's S&P Healthcare Economic Composite Index. It's the first time the growth rate has accelerated since May 2010.

Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provided health benefits to nearly 75 million people last year - or nearly one-in-four people - according to the inaugural report of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC).

Proposed changes to charitable tax deductions may limit the ability of nonprofit healthcare institutions to raise funds, according to a survey by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.

The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a nationwide television and radio ad campaign aimed at educating the public about Medicare fraud. The focus of the campaign is to help seniors understand the importance of protecting personal information such as Medicare numbers.

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is accepting proposals for grants to conduct health impact assessments.

Those familiar with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Recovery Audit Contractor program say the RAC audits haven't been as bad as was predicted when the controversial program was launched in late 2009.

HHS's bellwether decision of last week to grant the State of Maine a three-year waiver from the medical loss ratio provision of the ACA may lead to new efforts by insurers across the country to persuade states to demand similar waivers.

Two cover stories in this week’s Time magazine debate a provocative question: Is America in decline?

Congressmen Charles Boustany (R-La.) and John Larson (D-Conn.) have introduced a bill that would allow consumers more time to withdraw and pay taxes on their medical flexible spending accounts instead of forfeiting the remaining balance to their employer at the end of each year, as current rules require.