Republicans rejected a proposal by Senate Democrats to replace the sequestration cuts with alternative spending cuts and tax increases. Recent events suggest that a compromise will not be reached before the sequester takes effect on March 1.

Recently, proposals have been unveiled on Capitol Hill that would eliminate Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. On February 6, Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Joe Heck, DO (R-NV) reintroduced H.R. 574, the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act, which permanently repeals the SGR, provides positive updates for four years, and tests a variety of new payment models to provide options for physicians across medical specialties, practice types, and communities.

The Obama administration issued a final rule outlining the 10 broad categories of essential health benefits that most health insurance plans must offer in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Under the ACA, health plans in state exchanges must provide coverage for 10 categories of benefits, such as maternity care, prescription drugs and preventive care.

The Washington Post recently reported that the federal government will run health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 26 states, while seven states will partner with the federal government and 17 states and the District of Columbia will run their own exchanges.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is conducting a final review of the essential health benefit (EHB) regulations under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Under the ACA, health plans in state health insurance exchanges must provide coverage for 10 broad categories of benefits, such as maternity care, prescription drugs and preventive care. HHS in November 2012 released a proposed rule on the minimum benefits.

Some lawmakers recently have suggested that they might allow mandated spending cuts under sequestration, which includes a 2 percent reduction to Medicare reimbursement rates, to take effect on March 1. The mandated cuts involve about $1 trillion in across-the-board reductions. In January, President Obama signed legislation that delayed the cuts by two months.

Representative’s Joe Heck (R-Nev.) and Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) unveiled legislation (HR 574) that would permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR), which sets Medicare physician reimbursement rates.

Carolyn Clancy, MD, is planning to step down as AHRQ director later this year. One of 12 agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality strives to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.

Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said that federally run health insurance exchanges are on schedule for October enrollment. HHS Officials stated that the government is on track to start accepting insurance plan applications in April, and it currently is testing a data hub designed to confirm the eligibility of people seeking insurance in any of the federal exchanges.

Thirty-nine states have not enacted laws essential to enforcing new consumer protection rules under the Affordable Care Act, raising the possibility of increased federal oversight, according to a survey released Friday by the Commonwealth Fund.