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The first half of the month-long congressional recess has significantly dimmed hopes for a bipartisan agreement on healthcare reform in the Senate, due to contentious, rancorous town hall meetings and new polls suggesting eroding public support for the Democrats’ healthcare reform proposals. 

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Read More Bipartisan Agreement on Healthcare Reform Remains Elusive; Democrats Considering Splitting Bill into Two Pieces

On August 10, 2009, New York Governor David Patterson signed legislation continuing the freeze on medical malpractice rates.  In addition to the premium rate freeze, the legislation also suspended an anticipated surcharge.  The Legislature projected that without the freeze, medical malpractice rates would have increased by as much as 30% for some physicians. 

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Read More New York Freezes Medical Malpractice Rates For Additional Year

In Washington, DC, two new laws were enacted this month that will impact insurance coverage eligibility in same-sex marriages performed out-of-state.  The Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009, effective July 6, 2009, provides that “marriages legally entered into in another jurisdiction between two persons of the same sex shall be recognized as a marriage in the District.” 

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Read More New District of Columbia Laws to Impact Insurance Coverage Eligibility for Same-Sex Marriages Performed Out of State

Late last month, the New Jersey legislature passed A2238/S1651 (the “NJ Act”), which requires group health insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.  Specifically, policies must provide coverage for treatments that are deemed medically necessary by the autistic person’s physician including behavioral therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. 

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Read More New Jersey Passes Autism Coverage Legislation; Massachusetts Considering Same

In response to recent investigations of reimbursements of out-of-network treatment, New York Governor Paterson announced a proposed regulation that will require health and accident insurers, including health maintenance organizations (collectively, “insurers”), to inform insureds as to the actual reimbursement amount for out-of-network treatment before receiving such treatment. 

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Read More New York Announces Proposed Regulation on Health Insurance Reimbursements

Last weekend, President Obama proposed $313 billion in new Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement cuts to help pay for healthcare reform. These cuts would be in addition to the cuts that were proposed in the President’s budget.  The new proposal includes cuts for almost all types of providers, including hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities. …
Read More New Medicare and Medicaid Cuts Proposed

Late last month, the Connecticut legislature passed S.B. 301 (the “Act”), which requires group health insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.  Specifically, policies must provide coverage for treatments that are medically necessary and prescribed by a licensed physician, licensed psychologist or licensed clinical social worker. 

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Read More Connecticut Passes Autism Coverage Legislation

The American Hospital Association last week submitted a comment letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging the Committee not to reduce hospitals’ Medicare payments to help fund health care reform.  Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) had made that suggestion, among others, on May 18 in a health reform policy paper prepared prior to the Committee taking up the matter this month. …
Read More AHA to Senate: Don’t Cut Medicare Payments

A recent report by Families USA, an advocacy group, said that the average family pays $1,000 a year more for health insurance premiums to subsidize the cost of health care for the uninsured.  The average individual pays $370 more per year.  This cost-shifting becomes necessary whenever someone who doesn’t have medical insurance receives care at a hospital emergency room, clinic or physician’s office and then doesn’t pay for the care. …
Read More U.S. Health Insurance Costs Subsidize the Uninsured