Fix Health Care Policy

Pressing States to Participate in Medicaid Expansion Is a Bad Idea

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Heritage’s Stuart Butler, director of the Center for Policy Innovation, wrote at the JAMA Forum yesterday on the Obama Administration’s push for states to participate in the expansion of Medicaid. Here’s an excerpt from Butler’s piece:

Even after the Supreme Court struck down a requirement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that required states to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income individuals,* states still seemed to have a juicy carrot to do so. That’s because 100% of the extra cost for states will be met by Uncle Sam for the first 3 years, starting in 2014. And although the federal share of costs for these newly covered individuals will gradually decrease thereafter to 90%, that is still a much bigger share than for “regular” Medicaid.

Not surprisingly, the Obama Administration is pressing states to see this as a deal that no sensible governor and state legislature can refuse and to think that doing so would harm the state and its clinicians and health care facilities. And even some Republican governors, such as Rick Scott of Florida, say there is no sense in leaving federal money on the table. Still, others are balking, such as Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal. Are they lacking common sense?

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: coercion, expansion, JAMA Forum, Medicaid, ObamaCare, States

Medicare Advantage Survives—for Now

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There seems to be much confusion surrounding the recent drama of Medicare Advantage’s (MA) 2014 payment rate. Here’s what happened:

In February, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its advance notice of estimates of the national per capita Medicare Advantage (MA) growth percentage, which is a key factor in determining the MA payment rate for 2014. The notice revealed that MA payment rates were set to decrease by 2.2 percent. The CMS had until April 1 to finalize the rate.

This 2.2 percent reduction would have been on top of the MA reductions included in Obamacare ($156 billion over 10 years) and Obamacare’s new annual fee on health insurers, often referred to as the “premium tax” (costing $101.7 billion over 10 years), which will also hit MA plans.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: annual fee, Medicare Advantage, ObamaCare, payment rates

Administration Rules Out “Deals” on Medicaid Expansion

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Last Friday afternoon, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a short frequently asked questions (FAQ) document that should remove any remaining belief that the federal government will give state lawmakers flexibility on the Obamacare Medicaid expansion. The message is clear: The only thing a state that agrees to the Medicaid expansion will get is a bigger Medicaid program.

The CMS reiterated the position it took in an earlier FAQ that the Obama Administration considers the expansion to be an “all or nothing” proposition for states.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: burdensome, CMS, flexibility, HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, Medicaid Expansion, ObamaCare, States

Obamacare Causes Doctor to Retire

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Yet another doctor has decided to quit practicing medicine due to Obamacare’s onerous burdens.

“I am in my mid-70s and have both the capacity and willingness to care for patients for another decade. But I am retiring,” Dr. John Curry of Fairfax, VA, wrote to one of his patients, columnist Cal Thomas, in an explanation of how the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more commonly known as Obamacare, is leading him to retire early.

“I cannot stand it anymore. More than half of my time in the office is spent filling out forms, writing letters, responding to inquiries, and attending to ‘urgent’ matters that did not exist 10 years ago. And every year my income is less,” he wrote. “At this point I would rather be paid nothing and have the freedom to decide what is right for my patients.”

“ACA is only another straw, but for this tired camel, it will break my back,” wrote Curry.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: doctors, low reimbursement, ObamaCare, regulatory burden, repeal the law, retirement