CBO Is Increasingly Skeptical About ObamaCare | RealClearPolitics

The latest report from the Congressional Budget Office highlights a number of reasons why the CBO is concerned about the implementation of Obamacare. It boils down to this: Obamacare is going to be more expensive than the Obama administration thought, disrupt the marketplace more than they thought, and be tougher to implement than they thought.

via CBO Is Increasingly Skeptical About ObamaCare | RealClearPolitics.

Can Medical Tourism Save Us From Obamacare? – Reason.com

If the double whammy of Obamacare, which will be fully up and running in 2014, and a rapidly aging population creates pronounced health-care shortages, more and more Americans may soon start looking abroad for fast, affordable, and effective treatments for all sorts of medical problems.

The global health-care industry is booming, which is creating new opportunities for medical travelers to purchase everything from discount dental work to state-of-the-art heart surgery. The international accreditation agency known as Joint Commission International evaluates the quality of hospitals around the world. It has given its stamp of approval to 546 hospitals worldwide and the list is growing faster than ever.

via Can Medical Tourism Save Us From Obamacare? – Reason.com.

Families still excluded from health law’s ‘affordability’ standard – The Hill’s Healthwatch

Some families might not have access to “affordable” healthcare coverage under rules the Obama administration released Wednesday.

The new regulations leave intact a policy that advocates say could leave millions of families without guaranteed access to affordable coverage.

Consumer advocates have pressed the administration to change its interpretation, but regulations issued Wednesday reiterated the more limited approach the administration has taken in the past.

via Families still excluded from health law’s ‘affordability’ standard – The Hill’s Healthwatch.

Why the ACA’s Medicaid expansion isn’t a good deal for the poor | AEIdeas

This lack of participation isn’t going to change anytime soon, with a 2008 survey revealing that only 52.6% of physicians say they would accept new patients on Medicaid. And while the ACA purports to increase Medicaid payment rates to 77% of private rates in 2014, CMS says they will drop back to 58% very quickly. Providers aren’t going to move into low-income areas for 58% of what they could make providing services to privately-insured individuals.

via Why the ACA’s Medicaid expansion isn’t a good deal for the poor | AEIdeas.

OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Immigration reform brings debate on ACA benefits – The Hill’s Healthwatch

The immigration reform debate is hot out of the gate this week, raising questions about whether undocumented immigrants who receive papers should be eligible for healthcare benefits like tax subsidies or Medicaid coverage under President Obama’s healthcare law.

Currently, illegal aliens are prohibited from purchasing coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) insurance exchanges. They are also ineligible for Medicaid under most circumstances, making the ACA’s expansion of the program fruitless for many low-income workers who lack coverage.

via OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Immigration reform brings debate on ACA benefits – The Hill’s Healthwatch.

Southwestern Pa. hospital to stop baby deliveries – New York News | NYC Breaking News

A southwestern Pennsylvania hospital will stop delivering babies after March 31 because its obstetricians are either leaving or refocusing their practices, and because hospital officials believe they can’t afford it based on projected reimbursements under looming federal health care reforms.

The Windber Medical Center, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, is losing two obstetricians and two others are shifting their focus more to gynecology.

Hospital officials say the population of women of child-bearing age is dropping and that the number of births the hospital would be called upon to perform isn’t enough for it to provide the service in the face of lower reimbursements under the federal Affordable Care Act.

via Southwestern Pa. hospital to stop baby deliveries – New York News | NYC Breaking News.

Health Care Law and Cost Containment — Economic View – NYTimes.com

Once the payment advisory board has a track record, for example, perhaps it could be empowered to suggest changes in benefits or in how Medicare services are provided — say, along the lines of successful demonstration projects.

via Health Care Law and Cost Containment — Economic View – NYTimes.com.

‘Obamacare’ extends health care benefits to same-sex partners’ children – Jason Millman – POLITICO.com

The Obama administration is giving a new health benefit to same-sex partners — and it’s built on one of the most popular provisions of “Obamacare.”

On Friday, the administration published a proposed rule that would extend one of the health care law’s best-known provisions — allowing children to stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26 — to same-sex partners of federal workers.

via ‘Obamacare’ extends health care benefits to same-sex partners’ children – Jason Millman – POLITICO.com.

Obamacare: Storm Coming – Marc Siegel – National Review Online

There may be a debate over whether Obamacare’s individual mandate is a penalty or a tax, but there is no debate among doctors and their patients about the fact that Obamacare will be bad for America’s health.

via Obamacare: Storm Coming – Marc Siegel – National Review Online.

Health Reform and the Plight of the Uninsured Pregnant Woman by Nicole Moody :: SSRN

America’s health and prosperity will depend on the health and prosperity of the future generation — a generation comprised of children. To ensure the health of America’s tiniest citizens and the future leaders of tomorrow, the United States must take an interest in providing adequate prenatal, natal, and postnatal care to its mothers.

Part I of this article seeks to explain the barriers preventing pregnant women from obtaining adequate and affordable health insurance coverage. I examine the three health insurance options currently available to pregnant women — employer-sponsored health insurance, individually purchased insurance, and government-funded insurance — and provide an overview of the legal history regarding the pregnant woman’s access to health care coverage. Part II provides a discussion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and analyzes whether Obama’s 2010 health care reform made any significant progress towards improving the pregnant woman’s ability to access affordable health care coverage. Part III concludes the article with further recommendations for reforming the new health insurance system, which include (i) updating the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) standard or adopting a new measurement to more accurately reflect the poverty level and economic need of families and individuals; (ii) adopting a “fallback provision,” which extends affordable health insurance coverage to all pregnant women who do not otherwise have access to any means of affordable health insurance; and (iii) instituting more outreach, transparency, and accountability within the state health insurance systems.

via Health Reform and the Plight of the Uninsured Pregnant Woman by Nicole Moody :: SSRN.