Tag: Healthcare reform
Obama makes his pick for CMS administrator
July 10, 2015HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Andrew Slavitt as CMS administrator, according to news reports.
Slavitt has been acting administrator for CMS since Marilyn Tavenner stepped down in February.
“Since taking the role in February, Slavitt's focus as acting administrator is on strengthening CMS's role in helping the healthcare delivery system meet the evolving needs of consumer by transforming the way care is paid for providing the tools to make the system...
Who do you want to rub elbows with?
May 29, 2015Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Health care is becoming less siloed.
In my eyes, one of the larger goals of healthcare reform is to break down the barriers between different healthcare providers. A hospital can no longer operate in a silo. Because of the pressures to reduce readmission rates, it has to make it its business to know what patients are doing when they're outside of its four walls. To do that, it needs help from other healthcare providers. Skilled nursing facilities. Home medical equipment providers.
The increasing...
Reporter's notebook: Providers no fans of healthcare law
August 24, 2012Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
With so much of the national conversation in recent weeks focused on the Affordable Care Act, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in June, I decided to casually ask HME providers how the law would impact them. Boy, did I get an earful. From rising premiums to government intrusion, everyone had an opinion.A 'killer' plan?Arguably the biggest impact on small businesses is expected to come from the law's requirement that employers offer health insurance. Those who don't will pay a penalty per employee.“It's...
Analysis of Affordable Care Act: Expanding coverage holds promise for HME providers
August 24, 2012Asela Cuervo
Given the U.S. Supreme Court decision in National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) v. Sebelius, it may be time to revisit the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its impact on HME providers. Providers are only too aware of the ACA provisions that have already affected their businesses. Others have not yet been fully implemented, such as the requirement for an initial face-to-face visit for orders of certain HME items, which CMS recently published as a proposed rule; or the requirement to have...
ACA decision and NCB and MPP
June 28, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON - It was probably a long shot, anyway, but stakeholders now know for sure that the U.S. Supreme Court won't save them from an expansion of competitive bidding or several other HME-related provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
To much fanfare, the court this morning upheld the ACA with Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. siding with the court's more liberal members in a 5-4 vote.
“People were hoping these provisions were going to go away, but the bulk of the law will...
Linde of Germany to buy Lincare. SCOTUS upholds ACA. What's the bigger story?
June 28, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
It's been a busy morning here at HME News world headquarters.
In case you didn't see the news reports late yesterday, Linde of Germany is rumored to be bidding to buy Lincare for $3.4 billion. Managing Editor Theresa Flaherty is making calls on that as we speak. She's already gotten this interesting piece of speculation: Lincare never put out a shingle; Linde of Germany came knocking on its own.
And I'm sure you've heard by now that the U.S. Supreme Court this morning announced...
Live blogging from HME Business Summit: Buckle your seat belts
September 13, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Professor Larry Van Horn, a self-professed "bitter evil little man," on the future of Medicare.
Van Horn just asked attendees in the room to raise their hands if they would have voted for healthcare reform. A few hands. How many would not have voted for reform? A lot of hands.
Health care is 17.5% of our GDP. Van Horn says: "When health care becomes 22%, it crowds out national defense. That should freak you out a little bit. The Canadians will be coming."
The current Medicare trustees report states...
First-month purchase option: Industry shifts gears
May 7, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Instead of repealing the provision to eliminate the first-month purchase option for standard power wheelchairs, industry stakeholders are working with lawmakers to delay it.
"We've been told that our repeal is not going to happen prior to implementation due to the current make-up of Congress," said Seth Johnson, vice president of government affairs for Pride Mobility Products. "The Democrats aren't willing to change anything in the healthcare reform bill."
The provision eliminates the first-month...
Providers 'play it safe'
April 26, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - Some HME providers are putting off investing in their companies until they have a better idea what the future holds.
"Our philosophy right now is to play it safe," said Richard Lerner, president of Allcare Medical in Sayreville, N.J. "We're keeping our expenses under control, paying down our debt, and watching to see what happens. We want to be as financially responsible as possible."
Providers cite national competitive bidding; the healthcare reform bill, or "Obamacare" as more...
Healthcare reform: Industry ponders next move in new reality
March 25, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON With a stroke of President Barack Obamas pen, the HME provisions included in the Senates healthcare reform bill became law last week.
H.R. 3590, passed by the House of Representatives March 21, packs a punch: It will, among other things, expand Round 2 of national competitive bidding to another 21 cities and eliminate the first-month purchase option for standard power wheelchairs.
Its a done deal, agreed Walt Gorski, AAHomecare's vice president of government affairs.
Were assessing...