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The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has raised the specter that pending legislation to reform the Medicare physician fee schedule statutory update formula could increase the likelihood that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) mechanism would be triggered – potentially resulting in as much as $0.6 billion in Medicare provider cuts during …

With all attention now focused on the campaign for control of Congress and the Presidency, it might be easy to forget that the 112th Congress is still in session and returns to work in September. When Congress does return, a number of important decisions affecting health care and energy policy, among other areas, remain to be considered.
Continue Reading Jumping Off The ‘Fiscal Cliff’? What Can Happen When Congress Returns?

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has issued a report entitled "Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Options," a compendium of budget options to reduce the federal deficit. Many of the proposals would impact the Medicare and Medicaid programs and health insurance provided under the ACA. Highlights of the options include: adding a “public plan” to the …

Today Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released his “manager’s amendment” to the pending Senate health reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). The amendment reflects a series of agreements negotiated with individual Senators in recent weeks, and its release sets the stage for a possible Senate vote on the underlying health reform measure by Christmas. In other important health policy news, today the Senate joined the House in approving a short-term delay in the looming – and very large – Medicare physician fee schedule payment reductions caused by the application of the controversial sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula to the annual fee update.
Continue Reading Senate Leaders Release Health Reform Compromise; Congress Clears 2-Month Delay of 21% Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Cut

The Congressional Budget Office has issued an Economic and Budget Issue Brief on "Promotional Spending for Prescription Drugs." The report discusses trends in how pharmaceutical manufacturers market to consumers and prescribers, in such areas as detailing, sponsorship of meetings, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, and journal advertising. The report also discusses how market factors (e.g., size of the …

According to the preliminary Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the House health reform legislation released October 29,  the proposed expansions in insurance coverage would cost $894 billion over 10 years.  The bill would be paid for with cuts in Medicare rates, an income tax surcharge on high-income individuals and other tax code changes, and…

On June 16, 2009, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) outlined the potential impact of health reform on the federal budget.  In a letter to the Senate Budget Committee, the CBO warns that "without meaningful reforms, the substantial costs of many current proposals to expand federal subsidies for health insurance would be much more likely to worsen the long-run…

On June 15, 2009, the Congressional Budget Office posted its preliminary analysis of the major provisions related to health insurance coverage in the "Affordable Health Choices Act," which was released by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) on June 9, 2009.  Among other things, that draft legislation would establish insurance exchanges through which individuals and…

On December 18, 2008, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a major report entitled “Budget Options, Volume 1: Health Care,” which sets forth 115 policy options for Congress to consider as it addresses health care system reform. The CBO points out that Medicare is expected to grow from 2.8 percent of gross domestic…