November 17, 2017
The House passed its version of the Republican tax overhaul on Thursday, November 16 but obstacles remain in the Senate, which is refining its own version of the legislation amid objections from key GOP senators.
November 1, 2017
Open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces, where approximately 12 million people buy health insurance, begins today Wednesday, November 1 and continues until December 15. According to a report by the
Department of Health and Human Services' policy division, 80 percent of HealthCare.gov enrollees will be able to purchase a plan for $75 or less per month — making the 2018 insurance exchanges the lowest ever premiums for many consumers.
October 13, 2017
Making good on his promise to "never stop" his personal obsession to crush anything connected to Obamacare, late Thursday night President Trump issued a statement saying that his Administration would do away with Federal subsidies to health insurance companies that help pay out of pocket costs for people on low-incomes under the Affordable Care Act. Earlier in the day, President Trump circumvented Congress by signing an Executive Order allowing insurance companies to sell lower cost policies with fewer benefits as a means of drawing younger, healthier people away from existing Obamacare marketplaces.
October 5, 2017
Re: Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and other Revisions to Part B for CY 2018; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (CMS-1676-P)
October 4, 2017
It has been very difficult to obtain actual data to establish the numbers of people with disabilities among the Medicaid expansion population, given the dearth of both tracked disability-related questions and optional demographic information on disability in the streamlined enrollment application. Nonetheless, we submit that many working low-income people with disabilities, including individuals with multiple chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes who may not typical identify as a person with a disability, have enrolled in Medicaid through the expansion option. Consequently, we are deeply concerned by the proposal to eliminate the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit for MassHealth CarePlus enrollees, otherwise known as the Medicaid expansion population, except for transportation for substance use disorder (SUD)-related services.
October 1, 2017
Re: Request for Information under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Improving Health Care Choices to Empower Patients (CMS-9928-NC)
October 4, 2017
H.R. 620 and similar ADA notification bills are gaining more steam in Congress than ever before. If any passes, it will take the heart out of the ADA by denying people with disabilities the power to enforce its requirements.
H.R. 620 has passed the House Judiciary Committee and could proceed to the House floor at any time. The entire House needs to hear from us, starting immediately and for the next few weeks!
September 27, 2017
The back-to-back hurricanes that hit the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico this month have left the island of more than 3.4 million residents in crisis. The storms laid waste to the power infrastructure and much of the housing on the island. For many residents, access to gas, money, food, water, and electricity remains uncertain.
September 27, 2017
DREDF, along with the entire disability community, rejoices that Senate Republican leaders have decided to not hold a vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill, their latest proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
September 18, 2017
Like an extended horror movie that just won’t end, news outlets and pundits alike are increasingly abuzz about Senate GOP efforts to squash Obamacare – yet again. The latest piece of proposed legislation to repeal/replace provisions of the Affordable Care Act needs to beat the September 30 deadline and like a pack of pesky zombies who once seemed dead the new bill, Graham-Cassidy, like the other GOP healthcare reform bills before it is suddenly making Obamacare repeal efforts seem very much alive. Or, at least, not quite yet dead.