Senate passes Medicare “doc fix” at last minute

ByStephanie Condon, CBS News, March 31, 2014, 7:03 PM

With no time left to spare, the Senate on Monday passed a bill to ensure that Medicare reimbursement rates to doctors aren’t cut.

The bill is only a temporary modification to the Sustainable Growth Rate, which makes cuts to Medicare reimbursements to keep costs under control. Had Congress failed to pass the so-called Medicare “doc fix” before Tuesday, Medicare reimbursements to physicians would have been cut by about 24 percent. The legislation passed Monday staves off that cut for another year.




Republican senator says administration has ‘cooked the books’ on ObamaCare numbers

FoxNews.com

A Republican senator said on Sunday that the lack of details about ObamaCare enrollment numbers suggests the Obama administration has “cooked the books.”

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, made his comments just hours before the Monday deadline to enroll in the Affordable Care Act and was skeptical of the administration’s most recent enrollment figure of more than 6 million Americans.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

“I don’t think it means anything,” he told “Fox News Sunday.” “They are cooking the books on this.”




Can ObamaCare site handle the crush?

By Kate Tummarello, March 29, 2014, 11:27 am

Can ObamaCare’s website handle the crush?

That’s the question that will be answered in the next few days before the  March 31 enrollment deadline for the healthcare exchanges.

The Obama administration is expecting a spike in traffic to the healthcare site  and has boosted Healthcare.gov’s capacity to be prepared for an onslaught of  visitors.

Some estimate as many as 500,000 people will rush to sign up for insurance in  the final days of the open enrollment period.

 




In voice vote, House approves Medicare ‘doc fix’

By Wesley Lowery,

The House quickly approved another so-called “doc fix” bill early Thursday afternoon that serves as a temporary solution to an ongoing structural problem in the formula used to determine Medicare funding levels.

After hours of uncertainty over whether the bill have sufficient support to pass, House Republican leaders moved quickly to approve the measure by voice vote.

 




Most uninsured don’t know Obamacare deadline

By Tami Luhby  @Luhby March 26, 2014: 4:56 PM ET

Americans have only a few days left to sign up on the Obamacare exchanges, yet most of the uninsured don’t know the deadline.

Six in 10 uninsured adults are not aware that open enrollment ends March 31, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll released Wednesday. Half of the uninsured surveyed said they will remain without coverage this year.




A Quiet ‘Sea Change’ in Medicare

By SUSAN JAFFE,
“It has been standard operating procedure that patients will be discontinued from therapy services because they are not improving,” she said.

 

 




‘File-and-suspend': A Social Security strategy under fire

By Mark Miller, Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:21pm EDT

(Reuters) – Are high-income Americans gaming Social Security? The Obama administration wants to go after the wealthy for “aggressive” moves to “manipulate” their Social Security claiming decisions, according to the fiscal 2015 budget released by the White House earlier this month.




FAQ: What Are The Penalties For Not Getting Insurance?

By Michelle Andrews, Mar 24, 2014

If you’re uninsured, now’s the time to buy a plan. March 31 is the end of the annual open enrollment period when people who don’t have coverage through their employers can sign up on or off their state’s marketplace. With limited exceptions, people who miss this enrollment window will be unable to sign up for health insurance until next fall for coverage that starts in January 2015. In addition to being uninsured, you will face a penalty for not having coverage. The fine may be bigger than you expect. Here are the details:




5 ways to reduce your financial anxiety

By Kerri Anne Renzulli, March 24, 2014: 6:08 PM ET

Tired of feeling anxious about your family’s financial future? To reduce this lingering economic insecurity, try these strategies.

Create a plan. Fueling our anxiety about money is the feeling of being out of control — that economic events you have no hand in will hurt your prospects. Developing a financial plan with specific goals and targets helps you feel as if the control is back in your hands.




Millions on the sidelines for big health care push

By CONNIE CASS,  Mar 23, 11:07 AM EDT

WASHINGTON     (AP) — Alan Thacker wants health coverage, but he can’t get help in his home state of Georgia. Mary Moscarello Gutierrez no longer can afford insurance in New Jersey. Justin Thompson of Utah refuses to be forced into the president’s health law.

Millions of people in the United States will remain uninsured despite this week’s final, frenzied push to sign them up under the health law. Their reasons are all over the map.