In a rare display of bipartisanship, after intense last minute negotiations between congressional leadership and the Executive Branch, President Donald Trump signed into law legislation passed last week by Congress to...more
The Congressional agreement that reopened the federal government for three weeks quietly addressed—at least temporarily—several high-profile issues affecting public and private health benefits. ...more
The chart below compares key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). This chart is current as of July 13, 2017, and as of that date,...more
The American Health Care Act ("AHCA"), passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, repeals many of the taxes added by the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") and makes changes to other tax rules. Some of the notable...more
On March 6, 2017, after years of promising, GOP lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced the “American Health Care Act” (AHCA), the first concrete legislative proposal detailing the initial provisions designed to...more
On March 6, 2017, the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee released budget reconciliation recommendations that will, after mark-up beginning on March 8th, form the American...more
President-elect Trump has stated repeatedly that one of his initial goals is to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (the "ACA"). Because the Republicans control both houses of Congress, it seems likely that a repeal...more
On November 8, 2016, the future of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) became more uncertain. Republicans in Congress have been working to repeal the ACA since it was passed in 2010, and now, with control of...more
Over the past five years or so, Republican Congressmen have repeatedly taken steps to repeal President Obama’s landmark legislative effort – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”). However, those efforts...more
Like many things, the answer to that question depends on the distribution of power after the November elections. Assuming the House stays in control of the Republicans, not much will change with that part of the...more
With no clear “must-do” legislative priorities for health care in 2016, aside from annual appropriations, any legislation with potential of enactment must have strong bipartisan support and relatively little controversy. We...more
Congress’s recent $1.8 trillion holiday shopping spree (aka The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, which became law on December 18, 2015) included a few employee benefit packages. We recently unwrapped the packages....more
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (ACA) 2.3 percent medical device excise tax was contentious even before taking effect on January 1, 2013. Under the ACA, medical device manufacturers and importers are required...more
On Oct. 8, the House Republican caucus did not select a candidate for Speaker of the House and selection has been delayed. The current Speaker, John Boehner (R-OH), had announced that he would step down and retire from...more
House Leadership Elections: Republican House leadership changes remain in flux in the wake of Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) decision to retire and the unexpected delay of the vote to select his successor. House Majority...more
On June 25, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the latest legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) with its 6–3 ruling in King v. Burwell. With Chief Justice Roberts writing for the majority, the Supreme Court held...more