health care reform

Why Taking Away Patients' Rights Won't Heal Medicine's Troubles

March 22, 2012 02:02

Watch this video from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today. Rep. Bruce Braley explains why the bill under debate to make it harder for patients to win malpractice lawsuits won't heal any of the medical industry's troubles. And it certainly won't help improve patient safety. These...

Health Care Reform Update: DOL Provides Guidance on Summary of Benefits and Coverage Requirement

March 21, 2012 11:33

The US Department of Labor (“DOL”) has released frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) regarding implementation of the federal health care reform law’s summary of benefits and coverage requirement. (This set of FAQs is Part VIII in the general series about...

Group Health Plan Summary of Benefits and Coverage Due By Next Open Enrollment

February 10, 2012 18:15

  The agencies primarily responsible for enforcing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 issued 150 pages of final regulations implementing the mandate that group health plans and insurers provide a four-page summary of benefits and coverage to individuals who enroll in...

Department of Labor Begins Enforcing Requirement that Employers Provide Breaks to Nursing Mothers

Jamie LaPlante
February 01, 2012 14:53

The Department of Labor has begun enforcing the law passed in March 2010 requiring break time for nursing mothers and has cited 15 employers for violations of the law. We wrote about this law at the time the statute went into effect. While there was little guidance about the law at that time, the...

CMS Releases Long-Awaited Proposed Rule to Implement ACA Medicaid Manufacturer Rebate and Pharmacy Reimbursement Provisions

January 31, 2012 15:15

This post was written by Joseph W. Metro, Robert J. Hill, and Vicky G. Gormanly. On Friday, January 27, 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released its long-awaited proposed rule to implement the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”)...