Senator Kemp Hannon, Chair of the New York State Senate Committee on Health (and counsel at Farrell Fritz), will be hosting a health care forum featuring a presentation by State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson. The event will take place on Monday, August 5 from 10:00 am to noon at the Hofstra University Student Center Theatre.
2013
OMIG Announces Facebook Page
The New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General today announced their new Facebook page. This could be the only time anyone in the health care industry might consider a declaration that they “like” the OMIG.
While a Facebook page may appear unusual for this less-than-beloved agency, the OMIG’s office has made several…
Feds to Offer Free HIPAA Compliance Webinars
The Office for Civil Rights of the US Department of Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (“WEDI”), has announced a series of four free webinars on compliance with the latest Omnibus HIPAA/HITECH final rule, which implements significant changes in the requirements imposed upon health care organizations, providers, and…
Are Suits Opposing Obamacare Mandates Ripe?
Over fifty cases across the country have challenged regulations promulgated under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA” or “Obamacare”) that require employer group health insurance plans to provide coverage for contraception, sterilization and related counseling (the “HHS Mandate”). Suits have been filed by religiously-affiliated organizations as well as private business owners, asserting that…
Health Privacy Liability Issue Proceeds to NY Court of Appeals
In last week’s decision in Doe v. Guthrie Clinic, Ltd., the Second Circuit Court of Appeals certified to the New York Court of Appeals the issue of whether a medical corporation may be liable for the unauthorized disclosure of medical information, when the employee responsible for the breach was not a physician and was…
Out-of-Network Billing – New Hope for Patients
Unexpected bills to patients for out-of-network medical care have been a problem for years. Patients, their providers – both in and out-of-network – and the insurance carriers (the “payors”) have likely been involved at one time or another in the sometimes messy situation triggered by an out-of-network provider submitting a claim for charges. Payors have…
Essential Health Coverage Benefits – The ACA Final Rule
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued final rule stating the future health insurance exchange (“Exchange”) and insurance issuer standards related to coverage of essential health benefits (EHB) and actuarial value. The final rule further establishes a timeline for when qualified health plans (QHPs) should be accredited in federally facilitated Exchanges.…
New Breach Notification Requirements Released
The US Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released final rules on January 17, 2013 governing the privacy and security of protected health information under HIPAA and the HITECH Act. The new rules take effect March 26, 2013; compliance is expected by September 23, 2013. This post will focus…
“Affordable” Health Coverage Under Obama Care
As Chris Kutner explained in his January 4, 2013 post, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“PPACA” or “Obama Care”) requires, beginning in 2014, that employers with 50 or more full-time employees (“large employers”) offer “affordable” health insurance to their employees. Failure to do so will subject the employer to penalties.
Obama Care Employer Mandates: Who Must Comply?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“PPACA” or “Obama Care”) requires, beginning in 2014, that employers with 50 or more full-time employees (“large employers”) offer “affordable” health insurance to its employees. Failure to do so will subject the employer to penalties.
Future blog postings will address the coverage requirements and penalties under…
