On March 18, 2010, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted a copy of the 153 page Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R.4872) on her website . On her website , House Speaker Pelosi has also posted a Summary and Section-By-Section Analysis of H.R.4872 and a document pointing out reported improvements to the Senate health care reform bill (H.R.3590). A number of news organizations report that the House may vote on H.R.4872... 

On March 10, 2010, the U.S. Senate passed legislation (H.R.4213) on a 62-36 vote , which would reportedly delay a scheduled 21.2 percent Medicare payment reduction for physician services until October 1, 2010. In the Final Rule updating the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year 2010, CMS adopted an update of -21.2 percent. MPFS rates are updated annually based on a formula that includes the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. ... 

On March 10, 2010, President Obama announced in a Press Release that new efforts will be undertaken to “crack down on waste and fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs through the expanded use of payment recapture audits.” According to the Press Release , President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum today that directs all federal departments and agencies to expand and intensify their use of payment recapture... 

On March 10, 2010, President Obama announced in a Press Release that new efforts will be undertaken to “crack down on waste and fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs through the expanded use of payment recapture audits.” According to the Press Release , President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum today that directs all federal departments and agencies to expand and intensify their use of payment recapture... 

On March 3, 2010, Representative Peter Welch and 61 House members introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2010 (H.R.4752). H.R.4752 is reportedly based on an amendment sponsored by Representative Welch that was included in the House passed Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R.3962).  Among other things, H.R.4752 would require that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services negotiate with pharmaceutical... 

In a Statement , the White House Press Secretary announced that the President signed the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (H.R.4691) into law on March 2, 2010. Among other things, H.R.4691 delays the scheduled 21.2 percent Medicare payment reduction for physician services until April 1, 2010.  In December 2009, the President signed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 into law delaying the payment reduction until March 1, 2010. H.R.4691... 

On March 2, 2010, The White House blog released a letter from President Obama to Congressional leaders, which follows up on the February 25, 2010 bipartisan health care reform meeting (or so-called summit). In the letter, President Obama reports that the Administration is exploring at least 4 policy priorities identified by Republicans including engaging “medical professionals to conduct random undercover investigations of health care providers... 

A number of news organizations (including American Medical News ) report that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has instructed Medicare contractors to hold physician claims for 10 business days to give Congress time to address the 21.2 percent Medicare payment reduction for physician services. In the Final Rule updating the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year 2010, CMS adopted an update of -21.2 percent.... 

Below are the top ten Medicare Update posts during February 2010 (based on the number of views): 1)   Draft Jobs Bill Would Delay Medicare Physician Payment Cuts Until October 2010 2)    CMS Releases Advance Notice of 2011 MA and Part D Plan Payment Policies With Draft Call Letter 3)   Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to Reportedly Undergo Structural Reorganization 4)   CMS Releases National Health Expenditure Projections 5)... 

President Obama’s bipartisan meeting (or summit) on health reform will take place at 10:00 a.m. (EST) on February 25, 2010 and will stream live below and at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live JOIN THE LIVE CHAT VISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV Subscribe to Medicare Update, follow me on Twitter @MedicareUpdate , and become a fan on Facebook .  Read More →

On February 22, 2010, a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director’s Blog post revealed that the CBO will be unable to provide a cost estimate of President Obama’s health care reform proposal prior to the February 25, 2010 bipartisan health care reform meeting (or so-called summit). In fact, the post states, in part, the following: “Although the proposal reflects many elements that were included in the health care bills passed... 

In a recent post , The White House Blog includes a letter from Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius outlining the agenda for the upcoming February 25, 2010 health care summit. According to the letter , President Obama is inviting the most senior House of Representative and Senate leaders as well as chairmen and ranking members of the committees that oversee health insurance reform.  The White House has released a list... 

The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room has reportedly obtained a draft copy of the Senate jobs bill , which will be apparently titled the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (Act).  The draft Act contains a number of provisions pertaining to the Medicare program including provisions: Delaying a 21 percent Medicare payment reduction for physician services until October 1, 2010; and Extending the therapy cap exceptions process until December... 

The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room has reportedly obtained a draft copy of the Senate jobs bill , which will be apparently titled the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (Act).  The draft Act contains a number of provisions pertaining to the Medicare program including provisions: Delaying a 21 percent Medicare payment reduction for physician services until October 1, 2010; and Extending the therapy cap exceptions process until December... 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has prepared an analysis of projected national health care expenditures through 2019, which has been published on-line by the journal Health Affairs . The growth in U.S. health care spending is projected to be 5.7 percent in 2009 and reach $2.5 trillion. As a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), CMS projects that health care spending will increase to 17.3 percent in 2009 (from 16.2...