Tuesday Tidbits

I was asked today whether I think that Congress will pass comprehensive healthcare reform. My response was your guess is as good as mine. Modern Healthcare reports that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D Md) distanced himself today from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs statement that reform must happen by March 18 (although Rep. Hoyer does think that it will happen).

Business Insurance reports that the Senate is close to passing a tax extenders bill (H.R 4213) that will extend the COBRA / TCC subsidy program to employees who lose health care coverage due to involuntary termination of employment on or before December 31, 2010. Currently the program will expire with employees who lose employment involuntarily on or before the end of this month. The program provides a 65% subsidy for up to 15 months. If the Senate gives it approval, the bill must go back to the House for its approval of the Senate version (just like health care reform!).

I discovered today that on February 25, 2010, the Congressional Research Service published a report on the FEHB Program's available options. The report concludes

FEHBP’s wide range of options allows enrollees to use their own authority to hold down their health insurance costs, and because premiums are based on an average of all plan costs, individual decisions ultimately affect all enrollees. Eligible enrollees must weigh personal factors, such as how much of their wages they are willing to contribute to health insurance and how risk averse they are to potential out-of-pocket costs. However, FEHBP-eligible individuals may revisit their decision every year during the annual open season. Individuals who find themselves with too much or too little risk, under- or over-coverage, and those whose health status changes, may change plans each year. In the past, however, there has been very little movement from one plan to another each year.

On the HIPAA Privacy Rule front, Thomson Reuters reports that

[The HHS Office for Civil Rights, which is responsible for enforcing the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules]  is collecting views regarding [HIPAA Protected Health Information] de-identification approaches, best practices for implementation and management of the current de-identification standard and potential changes to address policy concerns. OCR will take written comments until March 12 at OCRPrivacy@hhs.gov.

[Susan] McAndrew[, OCR’s deputy director of health information privacy,] said that in addition to guidance, HHS is working on an NPRM regarding business associates, marketing, fundraising, “‘minimum necessary,” the sale of PHI and other issues.

CNN reports that "More than 1,000 protesters -- including representatives of organized labor -- marched through the streets of downtown Washington before parking themselves in front of the Ritz Carlton, site of the annual conference of America's Health Insurance Plans, an insurance industry lobbying group." Next week AHIP co-sponsors the annual FEHB carrier conference at the Washington Hilton. I'll be there. Will the protestors be there too?