By Peter Sullivan; The Hill ~ Apr 21, 2015
Leading healthcare provider groups are objecting to Medicare cuts being used to help pay for a new House Republican trade bill.
The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) bill helps workers displaced by trade and provides a tax credit to help pay for health insurance. It was rolled out in addition to a proposal to give President Obama “fast-track” authority on trade.
By Andrew V. Pestano; United Press International ~ Apr 20, 2015
WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) — Medicare cards will no longer display Social Security numbers, in an effort to change the way doctors are paid for treating Medicare patients and to prevent identity theft.
President Barack Obama requested a $50 million down payment “to support the removal of Social Security numbers from Medicare cards” in his 2016 budget. Federal auditors and investigators have recommended removing the numbers for more than a decade, and Obama signed a bill doing so last week.
By Darlene Superville; The Associated Press ~ Apr 15, 2015
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — President Barack Obama promoted his tax proposals Wednesday while criticizing congressional Republicans who are pushing to repeal the estate tax.
The House is expected to pass a bill this week to repeal what some lawmakers call the “death tax,” saying it prevents small business owners and family farmers from passing on their businesses to their heirs. But Obama wants to increase the estate tax and has threatened to veto the legislation.
By Sarah Ferris; The Hill ~ Apr 15, 2015
Some Medicare doctors will still face a temporary 21 percent hit to their pay this month, even after Congress met the government’s Wednesday deadline to stave off the cuts.
The Senate held a late-night session on Tuesday to finalize the repeal of Medicare’s flawed payment formula known as the “doc fix,” which cuts doctors’ reimbursement rates every year unless Congress takes action.
By Kimberly Leonard; US News & World Report ~ Apr 15, 2015
It has been nearly half a century since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, and while both continue to drive contentious debate among lawmakers, there is one point of agreement: The method of spending on these programs needs to change.
In a summit at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, District of Columbia, former chiefs of government agencies responsible for the programs reflected on the law’s passage and its future. The event was hosted by the LBJ Library, the Aspen Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
By Robert Pear, New York Times – Apr 14, 2015
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes in the way Medicare pays doctors, clearing the bill for President Obama and resolving an issue that has bedeviled Congress and the Medicare program for more than a decade.
The 92-to-8 vote in the Senate, following passage in the House last month by a vote of 392 to 37, was a major success for Republicans, who devised a solution to a complex policy problem that had frustrated lawmakers of both parties. Mr. Obama has endorsed the bill, saying it “could help slow health care cost growth.”
By Mike DeBonis, Washington Post – Apr 14, 2015
America’s doctors can rest easy: Not only has Congress ensured they will be paid in full for the services they render to Medicare patients, it has ended the yearly ritual putting that in doubt.
The Senate voted 92-8 to approve a long-term “doc fix,” as the legislation adjusting Medicare fees has long been known, less than three hours before federal officials would have reduced payments to health-care providers by 21 percent. President Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill, which also extends the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, a key Democratic priority.
From Chicago Tribune; Orlando Sentinel ~ Apr 14, 2015
It’s no secret that Social Security is in serious trouble. The number of retirees is going to soar, and the number of workers paying taxes to support them is not. The trust fund that pays retirement benefits is projected to run out of money by 2033. Absent some major changes, taxes will have to be greatly increased, or benefits will be sharply reduced. …
By Lindsey Tanner; The Associated Press ~ Apr 14, 2015
CHICAGO (AP) — Your private medical information is under threat. That’s according to a study that found almost 30 million health records nationwide were involved in criminal theft, malicious hacking or other data breaches over four years. The incidents seem to be increasing.
Compromised information included patients’ names, home addresses, ages, illnesses, test results or Social Security numbers. Most involved electronic data and theft, including stolen laptops and computer thumb drives.
By Rachel Stoltzfoos; The Daily Caller ~ Apr 14, 2015
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will call for major reform to Social Security Tuesday, including eliminating the benefit for seniors making $200,000 or more, reducing the benefit for seniors making more than $80,000 and raising the retirement age to 69.
Christie is expected to talk about the need to overhaul Medicaid, Medicare and disability insurance, in addition to Social Security in a speech in New Hampshire ahead of a likely 2016 run, reported The Wall Street Journal. He’ll argue he’s the right person to take on the sure political challenge.
