FEDERAL RECOVERY PACKAGE UNVEILED

Last week, US House Democrats unveiled their version of an $825 billion federal recovery package.  The proposal includes $550 billion in spending and $275 billion in tax cuts.  Major provisions related to health care include:

• $20 billion for health information technology to prevent medical mistakes, provide better care to patients and introduce cost-saving efficiencies.
• $4.1 billion to provide preventive care and to evaluate the most effective healthcare treatments.
• $39 billion to support those who lose their jobs by helping them to pay the cost of keeping their employer provided healthcare under COBRA and providing short-term options to be covered by Medicaid.
• $87 billion for a temporary increase in the Medicaid matching rate.

 

As this bill moves through Congress there will likely be changes.

 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ELIGIBILITY AND REAL TIME CLAIM ADJUDICATION ISSUES REPORT

H.B. 125 was legislation passed last session to regulate the contracting process between providers and insurers. The legislation established an Advisory Committee on Eligibility and Real Time Claim Adjudication to assess and provide recommendations to the Legislature concerning standardizing the electronic communications for administrative functions within the healthcare sector in Ohio.  H.B. 125 specifically directed the Advisory Committee to consider the interoperability standards that have been created by the Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (CORE).  CORE is a multi-stakeholder initiative created, organized and facilitated by the Council for Affordability Quality Healthcare (CAQH).

The Advisory Committee was divided into three subcommittees as follows: Business Processes, Dispute Resolution, and Technology and Infrastructure.  Click on the 226 page Full report to read the recommendations.

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