Topics this week:
1. Presidential candidates address AARP on plans for Medicare
2. Young Americans are some of the first to feel impact of Affordable Care Act
3. Administration announces limitations on young immigrants’ access to health insurance
4. More Americans expected to face tax penalty for lack of insurance under health law
5. Health Policy 101: Independent Payment Advisory Board
1. Presidential candidates address AARP on plans for Medicare
2. Young Americans are some of the first to feel impact of Affordable Care Act
3. Administration announces limitations on young immigrants’ access to health insurance
4. More Americans expected to face tax penalty for lack of insurance under health law
5. Health Policy 101: Independent Payment Advisory Board
1. Presidential candidates address AARP on plans for Medicare
Both President Obama and Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan addressed members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) this week, emphasizing key points of their plans on the future of Medicare. Medicare has consistently been a significant policy issue for the organization, and both candidates took the opportunity to stress what they felt to be the most important issues for their respective campaigns on the topic.
In opposition to the President’s health care law, Ryan spoke about the importance of empowering seniors to have the freedom to have a choice in their health care about the coverage that works best for them, and allowing for market competition between insurance policies to be the driving force in creating the best coverage plans. He also criticized the health care law cuts to Medicare and parts of the law that would grant oversight of health care to ‘unelected bureaucrats’, as he characterized the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
Ryan received a mixed response from conference attendees, even facing boos from the crowd at certain parts of his speech. President Obama’s address via satellite emphasized the benefits of the Affordable Care Act that could be expected in the Medicare population. In the end, what appeared most important for both presenters was that they ensured a reliable and sustainable path forward for the future of the critical Medicare program for seniors, about which both Presidential candidates differ significantly.
Source:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81490.html?hp=r1
2. Young Americans are some of the first to feel impact of Affordable Care Act
New census data released by the Census Bureau revealed significant data about the status of young Americans and about the American economy overall. Poverty rate increased to 15.9% in 2011. Data about median income level suggested a possible positive shift in the recovery from the economic recession, and one highlight was the benefit seen for young Americans in access to health insurance. According to the data for 2011, there was a 3.5% increase in insurance for young Americans aged 19-25 once they were able to access coverage through their parents’ health care plans. Unfortunately, compared to Americans aged 26-29, there was a drop in insurance access by 1%.
Source:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/09/20/161443753/census-in-2011-number-of-poor-americans-increased
3. Administration announces limitations on young immigrants’ access to health insurance
The White House has announced that young immigrants’ who are granted deferred action status will not be eligible for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The ruling refers to an announcement made by President Obama in June that hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, attended school, and met other requirements would be eligible to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for “consideration of deferred action status for childhood arrivals.”
Questions remained about whether these young immigrants whose applications were accepted and granted deferred action status would be eligible for some of the benefits offered to other Americans and legal immigrants under the Affordable Care Act. This ruling announced by the Obama administration clarifies that these individuals would not be eligible for government subsidies to buy private health insurance offered under by the health care law and would not be able to access coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Sources:
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/us/more-expected-to-face-penalty-under-health-law.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443995604578004583230291120.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
4. More Americans expected to face tax penalty for lack of insurance under health law
Analysts at the Congressional Budget Office announced an increase in their estimate on the number of Americans who would be projected to face a tax penalty for not having purchased health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Earlier estimates projected approximately 4 million would be affected by the penalty in 2016 when the law would be put into effect, but the most current analysis projects that number to be 6 million Americans. These individuals would pay a tax of about $1,200 on average during that first year due to their lack of health insurance. The analysis takes into account those who would be granted exemptions based on financial hardship, religious objections, and other circumstances.
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/us/more-expected-to-face-penalty-under-health-law.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
5. Health Policy 101: Independent Payment Advisory Board
As mentioned early in the legislative affairs update, one of Paul Ryan’s main critiques of the Affordable Care Act is the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which is included in the health law and will begin functioning in 2015. Here are some key points to keep in mind about the IPAB that explain what it is and why it has become a controversial matter for politics and health policy.
IPAB – membership and functions
· 15 full-time members, with a minority being health care providers
· Must be confirmed by the Senate
· 6 year terms, cannot hold any other jobs, will get paid the salary of senior execs in the federal government (~$165K/year)
· Main function of IPAB is to make binding recommendations on how to reduce spending in Medicare, starting in 2015, if Medicare spending continues to grows beyond a specified threshold point (though the CBO doesn’t project spending to pass this point for another decade).
· These recommendations will be sent to Congress where the House and Senate must vote on them to either approve them, or if they do not approve, pass alternative cuts that create the same amount of savings. If they fail to act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will implement the recommended IPAB actions.
IPAB – the controversy
· For the healthcare industry – hospitals, doctors, drug companies – there is concern that IPAB recommendations will include reductions in Medicare payments which would continue to lower them. Physicians have expressed concerns over how much of the burden they will bear of some of the recommended cuts that could arise from the IPAB if they are called into action.
· Some lawmakers, including Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, feel that the IPAB holds too much power in making Medicare recommendations and are calling for repeal.
· Proponents support the IPAB for reducing the influence of special interests on Medicare policy, and point to restrictions on the boards ability to ration care or restrict benefits.
Source:
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2011/may/09/ipab-faq.aspx
Your loyal Legislative Affairs team,
Brad Hunter – Northeast Region
Robert Sanchez – Central Region
Sean Vanlandingham – Southern Region
Claire Sadler – Western Region
William Teeter – National Delegate
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
To access previous updates see our blog at:
https://www.aamc.org/members/osr/communications/legislative_affairs/
For more Health Care Policy news go to:
https://www.aamc.org/members/osr/communications/legislative_affairs/49198/legislative_affairs_resources.html
Both President Obama and Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan addressed members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) this week, emphasizing key points of their plans on the future of Medicare. Medicare has consistently been a significant policy issue for the organization, and both candidates took the opportunity to stress what they felt to be the most important issues for their respective campaigns on the topic.
In opposition to the President’s health care law, Ryan spoke about the importance of empowering seniors to have the freedom to have a choice in their health care about the coverage that works best for them, and allowing for market competition between insurance policies to be the driving force in creating the best coverage plans. He also criticized the health care law cuts to Medicare and parts of the law that would grant oversight of health care to ‘unelected bureaucrats’, as he characterized the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
Ryan received a mixed response from conference attendees, even facing boos from the crowd at certain parts of his speech. President Obama’s address via satellite emphasized the benefits of the Affordable Care Act that could be expected in the Medicare population. In the end, what appeared most important for both presenters was that they ensured a reliable and sustainable path forward for the future of the critical Medicare program for seniors, about which both Presidential candidates differ significantly.
Source:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81490.html?hp=r1
2. Young Americans are some of the first to feel impact of Affordable Care Act
New census data released by the Census Bureau revealed significant data about the status of young Americans and about the American economy overall. Poverty rate increased to 15.9% in 2011. Data about median income level suggested a possible positive shift in the recovery from the economic recession, and one highlight was the benefit seen for young Americans in access to health insurance. According to the data for 2011, there was a 3.5% increase in insurance for young Americans aged 19-25 once they were able to access coverage through their parents’ health care plans. Unfortunately, compared to Americans aged 26-29, there was a drop in insurance access by 1%.
Source:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/09/20/161443753/census-in-2011-number-of-poor-americans-increased
3. Administration announces limitations on young immigrants’ access to health insurance
The White House has announced that young immigrants’ who are granted deferred action status will not be eligible for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The ruling refers to an announcement made by President Obama in June that hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, attended school, and met other requirements would be eligible to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for “consideration of deferred action status for childhood arrivals.”
Questions remained about whether these young immigrants whose applications were accepted and granted deferred action status would be eligible for some of the benefits offered to other Americans and legal immigrants under the Affordable Care Act. This ruling announced by the Obama administration clarifies that these individuals would not be eligible for government subsidies to buy private health insurance offered under by the health care law and would not be able to access coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Sources:
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/us/more-expected-to-face-penalty-under-health-law.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443995604578004583230291120.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
4. More Americans expected to face tax penalty for lack of insurance under health law
Analysts at the Congressional Budget Office announced an increase in their estimate on the number of Americans who would be projected to face a tax penalty for not having purchased health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Earlier estimates projected approximately 4 million would be affected by the penalty in 2016 when the law would be put into effect, but the most current analysis projects that number to be 6 million Americans. These individuals would pay a tax of about $1,200 on average during that first year due to their lack of health insurance. The analysis takes into account those who would be granted exemptions based on financial hardship, religious objections, and other circumstances.
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/us/more-expected-to-face-penalty-under-health-law.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
5. Health Policy 101: Independent Payment Advisory Board
As mentioned early in the legislative affairs update, one of Paul Ryan’s main critiques of the Affordable Care Act is the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which is included in the health law and will begin functioning in 2015. Here are some key points to keep in mind about the IPAB that explain what it is and why it has become a controversial matter for politics and health policy.
IPAB – membership and functions
· 15 full-time members, with a minority being health care providers
· Must be confirmed by the Senate
· 6 year terms, cannot hold any other jobs, will get paid the salary of senior execs in the federal government (~$165K/year)
· Main function of IPAB is to make binding recommendations on how to reduce spending in Medicare, starting in 2015, if Medicare spending continues to grows beyond a specified threshold point (though the CBO doesn’t project spending to pass this point for another decade).
· These recommendations will be sent to Congress where the House and Senate must vote on them to either approve them, or if they do not approve, pass alternative cuts that create the same amount of savings. If they fail to act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will implement the recommended IPAB actions.
IPAB – the controversy
· For the healthcare industry – hospitals, doctors, drug companies – there is concern that IPAB recommendations will include reductions in Medicare payments which would continue to lower them. Physicians have expressed concerns over how much of the burden they will bear of some of the recommended cuts that could arise from the IPAB if they are called into action.
· Some lawmakers, including Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, feel that the IPAB holds too much power in making Medicare recommendations and are calling for repeal.
· Proponents support the IPAB for reducing the influence of special interests on Medicare policy, and point to restrictions on the boards ability to ration care or restrict benefits.
Source:
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2011/may/09/ipab-faq.aspx
Your loyal Legislative Affairs team,
Brad Hunter – Northeast Region
Robert Sanchez – Central Region
Sean Vanlandingham – Southern Region
Claire Sadler – Western Region
William Teeter – National Delegate
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
To access previous updates see our blog at:
https://www.aamc.org/members/osr/communications/legislative_affairs/
For more Health Care Policy news go to:
https://www.aamc.org/members/osr/communications/legislative_affairs/49198/legislative_affairs_resources.html