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HHS calls for greater transparency from insurers 03/04/2010
Meeting today with several large health insurers, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asked the insurers to post on the Internet information on their rate increases and how they justify them. Participants at the meeting included representatives from WellPoint, Aetna, CIGNA HealthCare, UnitedHealth Group and the Health Care Service Corp. In a briefing with reporters, Sebelius said the Department of Health and Human Services has no direct authority to deny a rate increase or return premium dollars to policy holders, but can "shine a bright light" on the issue by calling for greater transparency "until we get comprehensive reform with different rules of the road established."
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IRS to honor claims for employment taxes paid before 2005 rule 03/04/2010
The Internal Revenue Service has decided to exempt medical residents from Medicare and Social Security taxes for tax years ending before April 1, 2005, when it established a new rule categorically excluding them from the "student" exemption. The deadline for filing claims has expired, but employers and individual medical residents who filed a timely claim are eligible to receive refunds. The agency plans to provide eligible hospitals, universities and medical residents with more information within 90 days, including how to receive the funds. Employers and residents with pending lawsuits should contact the Department of Justice attorney assigned to their case. Lawrence Hughes, AHA assistant general counsel, said the IRS decision does not negate the need for the U.S. Supreme Court to review the 2005 rule, as requested in a pending case for which AHA last month filed an amicus brief. The rule costs teaching hospitals and medical schools an estimated $700 million annually. For more on the IRS decision affecting claims before April 2005, visit www.irs.gov/charities.
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Panel calls for changes to strengthen primary care 03/04/2010
A panel convened by the Macy Foundation today recommended giving nurse practitioners and physician assistants more authority to deliver primary care. To strengthen the nation's primary care system, the group also called for increased funding for primary care, incentives to attract more people to the field, and changes to education and training for primary care providers. "We hope that payers and policymakers at all levels, as well as academic health centers, will take these recommendations to heart and act on them quickly," said panel co-chair Victor Dzau, M.D., CEO of Duke University Health System.
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