1. Why this ACA repeal attempt is different: 5 things to know
The Senate passed legislation Thursday that would gut the Affordable Care Act of several fundamental elements, and this piece of legislation could be the first ACA repeal bill to land on the president’s desk, according to The Hill. The legislation would repeal authority for the federal government to operate healthcare exchanges and eliminate insurance premium subsidies for plans purchased through the exchanges. The bill strikes the individual and employer mandates, the Cadillac tax and the device tax. In addition, it would repeal the expansion of Medicaid, which 30 states have adopted. This repeal would be phased in over a two-year period to give the federal and state governments time to come up with a replacement plan.
2. Healthcare spending hits $3 trillion under ACA
Healthcare spending grew by 5.3 percent in 2014 to $3 trillion, as millions of new people with health insurance coverage under the Affordable Car Act and rapidly rising prescription drug prices drove spending upward, according to a study by CMS’ Office of the Actuary. Fueled largely by spending for new medicines, particularly specialty drugs, spending on prescription drugs grew by 12.2 percent in 2014, compared to 2.4 percent growth in 2013.
3. HHS: 87k lives and $20B saved through patient safety efforts
A HHS report released Tuesday shows a reduction in hospital acquired conditions has saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare costs. Preliminary estimates reveal a 17 percent decline in HAC rates from 2010 to 2014, or 2.1 million fewer recorded HAC cases. HHS reported 87,000 fewer patient deaths in hospitals and nearly $20 billion in care cost savings as a result of HAC decrease over this period.
4. Hospitals in Dallas and Fort Worth file for bankruptcy
Forest Park Medical Center’s hospitals in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to a Dallas Business Journal report. Forest Park’s Dallas hospital closed Oct. 30, resulting in 196 layoffs. The system’s Fort Worth hospital was put up for sale in October after the hospital missed an interest payment on a $66.8 million construction loan. Both hospitals were set for foreclosure auction on Dec. 1. However, with the bankruptcy filing, the auction did not take place.
5. The Leapfrog Group names 2015 Top Hospitals
The Leapfrog Group recognized 98 hospitals as Top Hospitals on its 2015 list, up from 94 hospitals in 2014 and 90 in 2013. The list recognizes organizations that performed at the highest national levels in quality and safety. Of the 98 Top Hospitals, 62 hospitals received recognition in the Top Urban Hospitals category, up from 60 in 2014. Of the nearly 100 hospitals ranked among Leapfrog’s top echelons, 12 were recognized as Top Children’s Hospitals, three more than last year.
6. Express Scripts and drugmaker partner for $1 alternative to Turing’s $750 pill
Express Scripts, the largest pharmacy benefits manager in the U.S., will partner with Imprimis Pharmaceuticals to create a much cheaper alternative to Turing’s drug Daraprim, according to The Chicago Tribune. Together, Express Scripts and Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, a small drug compounder, will sell their alternative to Daraprim for just $1 per capsule compared with Turing’s $750 price per pill. The new partnership will give millions of people whose pharmacy benefit is managed by Express Scripts access to the drug.
7. UnitedHealth CEO: Participating in ACA exchanges was a ‘bad idea’
UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley defended the health insurer’s possible exit from the Affordable Care Act exchanges in 2017 at an investor meeting in New York on Tuesday, according to a Bloomberg report. Regarding the company’s decision to participate in the ACA’s individual markets, Mr. Hemsley said, “It was a bad decision.” UnitedHealth didn’t participate in the ACA exchanges in year one, and in retrospect, “we should have stayed out longer,” he said, according to the report.
8. Lahey to pay $850k HIPAA settlement for 2011 data breach
Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., has agreed to pay $850,000 to settle potential HIPAA violations with HHS’ Office of Civil Rights for a 2011 data breach. In August 2011, a laptop that accompanied a portable CT scanner was stolen from an unlocked treatment room. The laptop operated the scanner and produced images for Lahey’s radiology information system and picture archiving and communication system. The hard drive on the laptop contained protected health information of 599 individuals.
9. Puerto Rico payer to pay 2nd largest HIPAA fine of $3.5M
Insurance holding company Triple-S, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will settle potential HIPAA violation allegations by paying HHS a $3.5 million fine — the second largest HIPAA fine following the joint $4.8 million settlement NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University paid last year. HHS’ Office of Civil Rights started investigations into Triple-S after the payer reported multiple breach notifications. The OCR’s investigations determined widespread noncompliance throughout Triple-S’ subsidiaries, such as failing to implement appropriate safeguards to protect beneficiaries’ protected health information, disclosing more PHI than necessary to carry out mailings and failing to conduct accurate and thorough risk analyses, among others.
