Policy and Legislation

Microsoft will offer new turnkey technology to help states roll out their statewide health insurance exchanges by 2014. This will include exchanges, enrollment and eligibility technology, health-enabled business intelligence/analytics and case coordination.

Answering critics of the Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act (CLASS), Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has affirmed the administration's commitment to ensure the program is self-sustaining and won't rely on taxpayer dollars.

The Senate has passed legislation that would repeal a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires small businesses, including physicians, to file an IRS form 1099 for each vendor purchase of $600 or more.

In a recent post I suggested that President Barack Obama should abandon the individual mandate contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. My theory is that the uncertainty surrounding the constitutionality of imposing a fine on Americans who fail to obtain health care coverage starting in 2014 is both a political and public policy risk that is simply not worth taking - especially since the penalty for failing to be insured is unlikely to achieve its public policy purpose.

In the era of healthcare reform when accountable care organizations, global payments, and partial capitation are the buzzwords filling board rooms, healthcare executives are wondering what to do next.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and the Illinois Hospital Association have launched Preventing Readmissions through Effective Partnerships, an initiative aimed at reducing hospital readmissions.

Taking a cue from the FBI, the Health and Human Services Department has released an online list of its "Most Wanted" fugitives charged with committing healthcare fraud.

With states considering reductions in Medicaid spending to address mounting budget deficits, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has sent a letter to governors outlining ways they can save money on Medicaid expenditures.

The National Academy of Social Insurance has issued a legislative toolkit intended to provide options for policymakers in implementing health insurance exchanges - a key element of the Affordable Care Act.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that would require most Medicare-participating providers and suppliers to give Medicare beneficiaries written notice about their right to contact a Medicare Quality Improvement Organization with concerns about the quality of care they receive.