Reimbursement

In upholding the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court did provide a setback to the Obama Administration by ruling that while the federal government can expand the Medicaid program, it cannot withhold funds from states that choose not to participate in the expansion.

A centerpiece of the GOP's agenda to "replace" ObamaCare is the appealing sounding notion of allowing insurance companies to sell plans across state lines -- in other words to ignore state rules about minimum standards of coverage. The hypothesis is that this will provide more competition and therefore lower premiums and enhance service.

With the nation on the edge of its seat June 28, the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional for all Americans to obtain health insurance or face penalties. And with the remaining sections of the ACA staying in place, healthcare reform was deemed to be in full swing, resulting in another victory for the Obama administration.

So the Supreme Court ruling -- finally -- has been handed down and the verdict is out: Chief Justice Roberts' hand pulled the ACA to shore.

The U.S. Department of Treasury late last week proposed regulations aimed at aiding patients gain access to financial assistance at charitable hospitals while also providing protection to patients from overly aggressive payment collection in the ER.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) believes a private-public partnership would be better to run the future Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN), rather than a federal body alone.

Florida Health Choices, a corporation established by the state to improve access to care, has selected Xerox to administer its insurance marketplace.

The future of the nation's largest health insurance program -- Medicaid -- hangs in the balance of the Supreme Court's decision on the 2010 health law.

The Kentucky Health Information Exchange, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Healthbridge are successfully sharing patient information. The partnership, says Trudi Matthews, director of policy and public relations for HealthBridge, is just the "tip of the iceberg" in terms of connecting healthcare providers and sharing patient information in Kentucky and healthcare markets in bordering states.

Kaiser Permanente and the Social Security Administration on Monday announced a pilot program to exchange electronic health record information using the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN).