Tag: Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON – A record-breaking more than 16.3 million people have selected a health plan through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace during the recent open enrollment period from Nov. 1, 2022, to Jan. 15, 2023, according to CMS. Total plan selections include 3.6 million people (22% of total) who are new to the Marketplace for 2023, and 12.7 million people (78% of total) who had active 2022 coverage and made a plan selection for 2023 coverage or were automatically re-enrolled. “Since President...

WASHINGTON - A 2.3% excise tax on medical device manufacturers went back into effect on Jan. 1 after a two-year hiatus, according to news reports. The tax initially went into effect in 2013 as a way to pay for expanded health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The $150 billion medical device industry, representing everything from catheters to artificial joints, has fought the tax hard. Congress agreed to suspend the tax for 2016 and 2017, with an eye toward abolishing it before 2018, but several...

The Affordable Care Act: Has there been such major health policy reform in the United States since the 1965 passing of the Social Security Amendments? A goal of the ACA is changing payment models based on the belief the current healthcare payment model is broken. It has been suggested the core of the problem is the fee-for-service system, which opponents argue promotes high utilization without appropriate accountability for cost, quality and outcomes.The ACA intends to shift away from a reactive,...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - There's been plenty of discussion recently about what the repeal of the Affordable Care Act could mean for healthcare consumers, but Aeroflow Healthcare is doing more than just talking.The DME provider has launched an online petition to keep breastfeeding support—mandated since 2010 through the ACA—as a women's preventive benefit.In less than three weeks, the petition garnered more than 11,300 signatures. For Aeroflow, which operates a Mom & Baby division specializing...

The fate of the Affordable Care Act lies in the hands of the Republican-controlled Congress, but HME providers for the most part don't expect to feel much of an impact if the program were repealed.“I think it's an overblown topic with regard to HME,” said Steve Ackerman, owner of Spectrum Medical in Silver Spring, Md. “I guess it depends on what comes in its place, but Medicare—at least for HME—wasn't really affected by the program”Ackerman may have a point. Nearly...

I've been making a round of calls to HME industry consultants today to see what they're working on with their provider clients. (Managing Editor Theresa likes to call the story that I write from these calls “Consultant's corner.”) I can't say that I've dug up much yet. I've been hearing a lot about audits, but that's pretty much business as usual for HME providers these days. A number of consultants I've spoken with have mentioned the anticipation surrounding the new administration and...

WASHINGTON - President Elect Donald Trump has named Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., a long-time champion of the HME industry and its efforts to reform Medicare's competitive bidding program, as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, according to news reports.Price, a six-term congressman, is a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act and, according to The New York Times, has been studying how to dismantle and replace Obamacare for the past six years. He serves on the influential...

YARMOUTH, Maine - A provision in the Affordable Care Act that mandates insurance coverage hasn't necessarily resulted in increased business for HME providers.Even though about 16 million people now have health coverage thanks to the ACA, provider Doug Westerdahl says the law hasn't had a material impact on his business, which is predominantly complex rehab.“If you were disabled, somehow, some way, you already had insurance before the ACA,” said Westerdahl, president of Rochester, N.Y.-based...

At Lehan Drugs, the breast pump business is going “crazy.”“Every month I double what I did last year,” said DJ Larson, vice president of sales and marketing for the DeKalb, Ill.-based provider, which has hired a lactation consultant and markets itself as a one-stop shop for women's health.The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to pay for breast pumps. The benefit kicked in for most women on Jan. 1, 2013.While that has opened up opportunities for providers—especially...

OCCC - Despite a government shutdown aimed at defunding The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the program is likely to move forward. That could be a good thing, says The VGM Group's Mark Higley.“It will increase DME sales—there will be 30 million more people with insurance,” said Higley, vice president of development, in his session, “Homecare Employers and Preparation for Compliance with the Affordable Care Act,” on Wednesday.Higley expects that influx to add 4% to an HME...