POLL: Should Cancer Centers Be Granted Exemption From Sequester Cuts?

The mandated spending cuts under sequestration are having the unintended result of reducing the number of Medicare patients that can be treated at cancer clinics, according to a report by the Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog.”

BLOGGER Vs. BLOGGER: Debating the Latest Bowles-Simpson Plan

Last week, Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) released a $2.4 trillion deficit-reduction proposal in an attempt to bridge the gap between Obama and the GOP and show that a budget deal to avoid the sequester still is achievable.

POLL: Will Proposed Medicare Advantage Cuts Grossly Effect Beneficiaries, Insurers?

CMS last week announced a proposed rule that would cut payments to Medicare Advantage plans by 2.2% next year. The changes would amount to an $11 billion payment cut, according to America’s Health Insurance Plans.

AHL’s TOP STORY: Bowles, Simpson Propose $2.4 Trillion Deficit-Reduction Plan To Avoid Sequester Cuts

Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) — former co-chairs of President Obama’s deficit-reduction commission — yesterday unveiled a $2.4 trillion deficit-reduction proposal, which includes $600 billion in federal entitlement savings over a decade, in hopes of staving off the automatic cuts under sequestration that take effect in March, Modern Healthcare reports (Zigmond, Modern Healthcare, 2/19).

STATE OF THE HEALTH CARE: What Health Care Topics President Obama Might Broach in Tonight’s State of the Union Address

President Obama tonight continues the long tradition of delivering a State of the Union address. While there are indications that Obama might spend little time discussing the Affordable Care Act, he could address a few health policy-related topics. Below we outline three such issues the president could tackle during his primetime address.

AHL’s TOP STORY: Obama Takes Medicare Eligibility Off the Table

President Obama will not support raising Medicare’s eligibility age as part of a larger deal to avoid automatic spending cuts under sequestration, a White House spokesperson said yesterday, AP/Modern Healthcare reports (AP/Modern Healthcare, 2/11).

The mandated spending cuts under sequestration involve about $1 trillion in across-the-board reductions, including a 2% reduction to Medicare reimbursement rates. In January, President Obama signed legislation — negotiated by Vice President Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — that delayed the cuts by two months, to March 1 (American Health Line, 2/11)

AHL’s TOP STORY: Some Lawmakers Signal Willingness To Allow Sequester To Take Effect

Some lawmakers recently have openly suggested that they might allow mandated spending cuts under sequestration — including a 2% reduction to Medicare reimbursement rates — to take effect in March, the Wall Street Journal reports (Hook, Wall Street Journal, 2/10).

The mandated spending cuts under sequestration involve about $1 trillion in across-the-board reductions. In January, President Obama signed legislation — negotiated by Vice President Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — that delayed the cuts by two months, to March 1 (American Health Line, 2/6).

According to the Journal, Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on a potential deal to avoid the sequester. Further, lawmakers from both parties have indicated that they might acquiesce to the cuts. Some Democrats have said the urgency to avoid the automatic cuts has been tempered by the fact that Medicaid is exempt. Meanwhile, some Republicans believe the across-the-board reductions would be preferable to any plan that includes raising taxes (Wall Street Journal, 2/10).

Despite some lawmakers’ apparent willingness to allow the sequester to take effect, the White House on Friday said it would not get involved in the negotiations and would defer to Congress on how best to develop a solution for curbing the national debt (Paletta/Hook, Wall Street Journal, 2/8).

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AHL’s TOP STORY: Obama Signs Fiscal Cliff Bill Into Law, Delays Large Cuts to Medicare Providers

President Obama yesterday signed legislation (HR 8) to avert the fiscal cliff, postponing mandated spending cuts under sequestration from taking effect, the Wall Street Journal reports (Reddy, Wall Street Journal, 1/3). The measure was approved by Congress on Tuesday, with the House voting 257-167 and the Senate voting 89-8 in favor of the bill (Pittman, MedPage Today, 1/1).

SEQUESTER: Reductions to Medicare Providers, Biomedical Researchers Could Take Effect Jan. 1

If Congress fails to bridge the partisan divide by midnight and reach an agreement to avert the mandated spending cuts under sequestration, health care providers will face a series of cuts, U-T San Diego reports.

AHL’s TOP STORY: Obama, Boehner Exchange New Fiscal Cliff Proposals

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) exchanged new offers to avoid looming mandated spending cuts under sequestration, but the offers brought them no closer to an agreement, the Washington Post reports (Montgomery/Kane, Washington Post, 12/11).