07.18.2014

#FullRepeal Daily Digest

Huffington Post: White House: Employers Must Disclose Objections To Covering Birth Control

The White House on Thursday sent a message to companies that want to opt out of covering birth control, saying those employers are required to be transparent about their objections.
The Department of Labor updated its website to indicate that closely held for-profit corporations must include in their insurance plans "a description of the extent to which preventive services (which includes contraceptive services) are covered under the plan." If the company chooses to opt out of covering any of the 20 contraceptives required by the Affordable Care Act, it has 60 days to disclose the change to its employees.
A senior administration official said the move was in response to the Senate failing to pass a bill Wednesday that would have required all for-profit employers, regardless of their owners' religious objections, to cover the full range of Food and Drug Administration-approved contraception in their health care plans.
The clarification is not a new rule. Current law already states that employers must disclose changes in their health benefits to employees. But the new guidance on the ACA makes clear that the disclosure requirement applies to those corporations opting out of birth control coverage after the Hobby Lobby decision.

Kaiser Health News: Biggest Insurer Drops Caution, Embraces Obamacare

UnitedHealthcare, the insurance giant that largely sat out the health law’s online marketplaces’ first year, said Thursday it may sell policies through the exchanges in nearly half the states next year.
“We plan to grow next year as we expand our offering to as many as two dozen state exchanges,” Stephen Hemsley, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the insurance company’s parent, told investment analysts on a conference call. He was referring to coverage sold to individuals.

Reason: Despite Administration Promises, Obamacare's Federal Exchange Still Isn't Fully Built – and Won't Be Until Next Year

A document posted by the administration yesterday lists requirements for the next tech contractor to work on the federal insurance portal, according to Politico, which reports that whichever company wins the next contract, which would begin when the administration’s current contract with Accenture, the company that replaced the original contractor CGI earlier this year, runs out in 2015, "is also slated to help construct major back-end components of the site that insurers need to get paid accurately."
- It’s the latest indication that the administration is having a serious problem completing work on the federal exchange’s crucial back-end payment systems.
…Insurers are relying on quasi-manual workarounds instead. And in April, the administration, which refused give an estimated timeline for completion of the back end financial management systems when questioned by Politico, indicated in a document that the workarounds would last at least until September of this year.
Insurer payments are not the only issue. Incomplete work on back-end systems also appears to be affecting the federal exchange's ability to verify income and citizenship for people who apply for coverage. A June report from the HHS Inspector General found more than 2.9 million inconsistencies in federal exchange applications as of the end of February, a figure that grew to 4 million as of the end of May. Most of those inconsistencies have not been resolved. Serco, the contractor charged with processing those inconsistencies, has blamed delays in the "eligibility support desktop (ESD) functionality" that was supposed to help deal with eligibility verification problems. Former HHS Sec. Sebelius certified in January the the exchange's eligibility verification systems were working.

Washington Free Beacon: One of the 'Important People' This is what happens when a reporter tries to make an OBGYN appointment with Eric Holder's wife

I was told the OBGYN practice where the wives of two prominent Democrats are partners reserves its morning appointments for “important people.” It was an intriguing claim, especially given the fact that Foxhall OB/GYN Associates does not accept Medicaid even as the office is being used as a prop in a Democrat’s congressional campaign.
I decided to investigate. Could I get a morning appointment? Was I one of the “important people”?
After an awkward 15-minute conversation with the office manager, it turned out I was—though only after she realized the story I was writing might not reflect well upon the practice. It also helped that I am not enrolled in Medicaid, because Spring Valley, the upper northwest D.C. suburb where Foxhall resides, does not, I was told, have the “demographics for it.”
[RELATED] National Review: Medicaid for Thee, but Not for Me
- ...it seems that the Foxhall Ob/Gyn is a medical practice that offers special service to “important people.” Early-morning appointments seem to be set aside for dignitaries. Nothing illegal about that of course, but oh so consistent with the hypocrisy of favoring the expansion of Medicaid while declining to accept Medicaid patients yourself.

The Hill: What will Obama do on employer mandate?

With the mandate set to take effect in January, businesses are awaiting final world from the administration on whether they will be required to track and report how many of their employees are receiving coverage. Federal officials are late in delivering the final forms and technical guidance necessary for firms to comply, raising suspicions the mandate could once again be delayed. The mandate has been pushed back twice before, the first time in late summer.
Seven business lobbyists interviewed by The Hill said it is unlikely the administration would defer the employer mandate wholesale one more time, given the intense political pressure from Republicans. But many groups are expecting partial relief to be announced prior to November, perhaps in the form of looser reporting requirements that would be easier to follow.
Interest groups say they're in a holding pattern until the Treasury Department releases two more forms and a set of specific enforcement guidelines. Those materials, expected prior to July 4, are considered necessary to constructing databases that will help fulfill the mandate's complex requirements. The Treasury Department says the documents will be ready soon and noted it released final regulations on the mandate in February.

Florida Watchdog: FDA rules could kill 119-year-old family cigar business

In April, a 67-page proposed rule was published in the federal registry. When finalized, it will require J.C. Newman Cigar Co. to:
- Obtain federal approval before offering any new cigar product.
- Submit every type of cigar sold to “rigorous scientific review.”
- Comply with new manufacturing practices.
The company also would be required to pay a user fee in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, effectively paying the FDA to regulate it.
“The worst case scenario is that the regulators will prevent new products from entering the marketplace,” said Newman. “Eighty percent of what we sell today we didn’t 10 years ago. New products are the key to every business in the country.”