It’s a measure of the backlog in DSH (for Disproportionate Share Hospital) payment appeals that CMS is still issuing rulings for appeals applicable to treatment of patients before October 1, 2004. On April 24 CMS issued Ruling No. CMS-1498-R2, addressing the nettlesome issue of how to treat certain …
Dems Call for Hearing on Costs of Hep C Drug Sovaldi
June 19, 2014 Leave a Comment
Dialing up the issue of high-cost medications, Rep. Henry Waxman, the lead Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado are calling today for a hearing into the impact Sovaldi will have on Medicare spending. The letter references new data out of Georgetown University …
Battle Over Cost of Drugs Ratchets Up
May 30, 2014 Leave a Comment
The battle over the rising costs of drugs, fueled by Gilead's Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi that costs $84,000 for a 12 week treatment regimen, intensified this week. Critics of the cost have taken to referring to the drug as the "1,000-a-day" pill. Earlier this week, the National Coalition on Health Care launched its …
Form 720 Revised for PCOR Fee Reporting Under Health Care Reform
June 7, 2013 Leave a Comment
As previously discussed, health care reform established a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (“PCORI”) to study patient-centered outcomes, funded by a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (“PCOR”) fee. This fee must be reported on Form 720 annually for seven years, beginning with the plan …
2013 Cost-of-Living Adjustments For Benefit Plans
January 28, 2013 Leave a Comment
Following the enactment of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, the IRS announced the 2013 cost-of-living adjustments for adoption assistance and transportation fringe benefit plans. Adoption Assistance The exclusion for employer-provided adoption assistance will increase to $12,970 per child in 2013. …
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Employee Wellness Program Complies With ADA
October 3, 2012 Leave a Comment
Bradley Seff sued Broward County, Florida alleging that Broward County’s employee wellness program violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted Broward County’s Motion for Summary Judgment, finding that the employee wellness program …