Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

On April 18th, after considering the request by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) to fast-track his legal challenge to the ACA, the Supreme Court released a revised order list of the cases they are considering. Absent from that list was the Virginia legal challenge, inciting speculation regarding the court’s reasoning. One week later on April 25th, as most observers expected, the Supreme Court officially denied the petition without explanation, confirming that the case will have to pass through the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals where oral arguments are scheduled for May 10th.

On April 20th House Energy & Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) co-authored a letter to President Obama asking for further clarification as to how the president will achieve the savings in Medicare that he outlined in his speech the previous week. In the letter, the Chairmen specifically asked whether the President supports all providers being subject to the new Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) created by the ACA slated to begin in 2014 and whether more Medicare beneficiaries should be eligible for drug rebates.