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Healthcare Policy News
Legislation Reintroduced to Lift Ban on Physician-Owned Hospitals
Last week, Congressmen Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)—along with 18 other original co-sponsors—re-introduced the Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act (H.R. 1330) The AAOS-supported legislation would lift the moratorium on new construction or expansion of physician-owned hospitals (POH) that was put into place by the Affordable Care Act. “Patient care begins and ends with doctors, and no one is more aware of this fact than physicians themselves,” said Congressman Burgess in the press release announcing the new bill. While concern exists that POHs only serve the most profitable patients, studies have shown the patient mix at these facilities is similar to other hospitals while providing care at a lower cost. In addition, the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program has revealed that many of the top performing hospitals in the U.S. are POHs. Listen to AAOS podcast interview with Rep. Burgess…
Senate Considers $1.9 Trillion COVID-Relief Bill
Following House passage of additional COVID-19 relief legislation on February 26, the Senate this week began its consideration of the American Rescue Plan Act. Major provisions include extended temporary federal unemployment benefits, an additional direct payment of $1,400 to qualifying individuals, increased premium support for Affordable Care Act plans, and continuation of subsidized COBRA health coverage. Notably for AAOS members, the bill does not include additional funding for the Provider Relief Fund or a delay in the 2% Medicare sequester cut that is scheduled to take effect March 31. The American Rescue Plan Act will be considered under the budget reconciliation process which allows the Senate to proceed with a simple majority, overcoming the usual 60-vote threshold. However, the bill is still expected to change in order to pass the Senate and because of budget reconciliation process restrictions. While many of the bill’s provisions are favorable across the U.S., its passage is not guaranteed since the Senate’s 50-50 partisan split gives Democrats no margin for error. Read more about the relief bill…
HHS Nominee Clears Committee and Other Cabinet Updates
The Biden nominee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra, has been voted out of the Senate Finance Committee and is awaiting confirmation by the full Senate. While a vote has not yet been scheduled, it is expected to take place sometime in the next few weeks. Becerra faces opposition from Republicans for his defense of the Affordable Care Act in his former role as California’s Attorney General. The administration also recently announced several other staff appointments, including Elizabeth Fowler as the new director of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation and the nomination of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure for the role of administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Prior to the nomination, Brooks-LaSure worked as a health policy advisor in consulting firms and for the Obama Administration. No confirmation hearing date has been announced for her. Other nominees previously announced, including Dr. Rachel Levine for Assistant Secretary of HHS and Dr. Vivek Murthy for Surgeon General, have come before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee but have not yet been referred to the full senate for votes. Read more about the confirmation hearing… |
