Legal & Regulatory Issues

Representatives Scott DesJarlais, MD, (R-Tenn.) and Phil Roe, MD, (R-Tenn.), have introduced legislation to prevent the enactment of an IRS rule that offers premium tax credits for both state-based health exchanges and ones operated by the federal government.

Utah Senator Stuart Reid has promised to back legislation requiring providers to notify patients upfront that they share patient data with government programs, according to a Salt Lake Tribune report.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch has vetoed a bill that would allow healthcare providers' insurers to make "early offers" to injured patients, expediting the malpractice process, according to a Union Leader report.

Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, Calif., was awarded $21.5 million from arbitration stemming from a dispute with Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health, which formerly operated Marin General.

Members of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee met on Tuesday to review the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's annual report to Congress, which recommends a number of changes to Medicare and its fee-for-service design in an effort to save federal…

The Office of Inspector General is planning to revise the self-disclosure protocol for healthcare providers to disclose potential fraud.

Opponents of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law received more media publicity than those who support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. 

Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are urging the Supreme Court to televise its pending ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a report from The Hill.

If the Supreme Court overturns parts or all of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Republicans will likely roll out smaller health reform proposals of their own in the coming months, according to a Kaiser News report.

The Obama administration will likely move ahead to implement major elements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act if the Supreme Court strikes down the individual coverage mandate of the law, according to a Washington Post report.