Alexander
Seventeen Senate Republicans are asking HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to again delay the looming implementation of more stringent criteria for the federal electronic health record incentive payment program. Their request follows a plea to providers from a leading EHR vendor to ask the government for more time.
Their call came in a letter Tuesday to Sebelius requesting an extension of the Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements by one year “for providers who need extra time to meet the new requirements. Providers who are ready to attest to Stage 2 in 2014 should be able to do so with current policy,” the senators said.
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The Obama administration and a national organization called the Young Invincibles on Monday launched a monthlong video contest to encourage enrollment of uninsured young adults in health plans offered on the state insurance exchanges.
Healthy young Americans are considered a key target group for enrollment, because their low medical costs will keep premiums down on the exchanges and offset higher costs of older, sicker enrollees. But surveys show that many young people either are unaware of the requirement that they obtain coverage or else don't see the need. Most uninsured young people who don't have coverage through their employer are expected to qualify for federal subsidies to buy insurance.
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The Obama administration is conducting targeted audits of hospitals to find possible upcoding of medical services related to use of electronic health records.
Don White, a spokesman for the HHS Office of the Inspector General, said the OIG is conducting audits of “specific institutions” on EHR-related overbilling.
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Obamacare critics have warned of a potential surge in improper federal subsidies due to the administration's recently announced delay in federal verification of income and lack of employer coverage to qualify for insurance subsidies on the state exchanges. A Wall Street Journal editorial called it the “liar's subsidy.” But Americans tempted to shade the truth to qualify for the generous subsidies should take a close look at other obscure provisions of the healthcare reform law.
The July 5 rule allowing those delays led supporters to highlight provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act meant to discourage applicants from gaming the system and garnering federal subsidies to which they were not entitled. The law allows civil penalties of up to $25,000 for applicants who submit inaccurate information because of “negligence or disregard of any rules or regulations.”
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Delays in key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last week last week are spawning congressional actions this week.
The Obama administration's surprise July 2 announcement that it will delay for one year the requirement that large employers provide qualifying insurance coverage for their workers or face tax penalties spurred told-you-sos from Republicans in Congress.
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