In This Issue:

Leading the News; Implementation of the Affordable Care Act; Other HHS and Federal Regulatory Initiatives; Other Congressional and State Initiatives; Other Health Care News; and Hearings and Mark-Ups Scheduled.

Excerpt from Leading the News -

Administration Officials Testify Before Congress:

As the Health Insurance Marketplace neared its one-month anniversary, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator both appeared before Congressional committees to testify on the rollout of healthcare.gov. These hearing were frequently overshadowed by contentious arguments between committee members. Administrator Tavenner appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee on October 29, where she testified that a number of improvements had already been made to healthcare.gov to improve the application process and that regular maintenance would be scheduled in order to have the website fully operational by the end of November. A CMS official later stated that regular repairs would be scheduled to take place occasionally between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET. Administrator Tavenner also stated that several Presidential Innovation Fellows would be part of the team brought in to repair healthcare.gov.