The Supreme Court will decide on the health-care law soon. It will tell you later.

The Supreme Court will decide on the health-care law soon. It will tell you later.- washingtonpost.com:
If the usual process occurs, the justices of the Supreme Court will gather around a large rectangular table Friday morning and, one by one, cast their votes on the constitutionality of President Obama’s health-care law.

GOP may accelerate major tax votes

GOP may accelerate major tax votes-politico.com:

The tax debate cometh — and sooner than you think.
House Republican leaders are privately considering moving a politically hot debate on tax cuts to before Election Day, according to aides and GOP lawmakers who have been involved in conversations. It would be a high-risk, high-reward move for the party, focusing voters’ attention on its commitment to lower taxes but also potentially fueling Democratic claims that the GOP is looking out for the wealthy.Read more:

Justices struggle wih fate of health law if mandate goes

Justices struggle with fate of health law if mandate goes-politico.com:

The Supreme Court struggled Wednesday with a question that looks increasingly significant after conservative justices battered the individual mandate: Should the rest of President Barack Obama’s health care law stand if the requirement to purchase insurance falls?

Court Set for Final Arguments on Health Law

Court Set for Final Arguments on Health Law-wsj.com:

The Supreme Court on Wednesday prepared to enter the last of its three days of arguments over the Obama health-care law, with justices set to weigh what happens to the rest of the overhaul if the court strikes down the requirement that individuals carry health insurance.

California political operative, Kinde Durkee, likely to plead guilty in $8M embezzlement case

California political operative, Kinde Durkee, likely to plead guilty in $8M embezzlement case-politico.com:
Kinde Durkee, the California political operative at the heart of a major embezzlement scandal, is expected to plead guilty later this week to stealing more than $8 million from her clients, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other California Democrats, according to sources close to the case.

Health Care Law: 5 Supreme Court takeaways

Health Care Law: 5 Supreme Court takeaways-politico.com:
On the opening day of Supreme Court arguments over President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, justices signaled Monday that they most likely will rule on whether the heart of the law is constitutional.

5 things to watch in health law oral arguments

5 things to watch in health law oral arguments-politico.com:

The Super Bowl for Supreme Court watchers kicks off this week as the justices hear three days of oral arguments in what could be the blockbuster case of a generation: whether President Barack Obama’s signature law overhauling the American health care system is constitutional.Read more:

Supreme Court to hear arguments on timing of health-care ruling

Supreme Court to hear arguments on timing of health-care ruling-washingtonpost.com:
The Supreme Court begins its constitutional review of the health-care overhaul law Monday with a fundamental question: Is the court barred from making such a decision at this time

Group Pushes for FDA to Ban Chemical in Food Packaging

Group Pushes for FDA to Ban Chemical in Food Packaging : "The Natural Resources Defense Council on Thursday renewed pressure on the Food and Drug Administration, which has until March 31 to respond to the group's petition to ban bisphenol A, a chemical used in packaging for food and drinks.  The NRDC has been petitioning FDA to reverse its finding that BPA is safe, or at least not unsafe. The NRDC cites a variety of laboratory studies it says demonstrate BPA can cause heart disease, developmental abnormalities, and thyroid problems. The FDA says there's not strong evidence thos e problems are showing up in humans. "  This could ultimately impact Edwards' ability to use BPA in many of its products.

5 Things Dems Got Wrong on Health Care

5 Things Dems Got Wrong on Health Care-politico.com:

President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies thought their political assumptions were airtight during the yearlong battle to overhaul the health care system.

Medical device tax: New Hampshire's Ayotte echoes call for repeal in Dem.-led Senate

Medical device tax: New Hampshire's Ayotte echoes call for repeal in Dem.-led Senate-massdevice.com:

New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte reaffirmed a commitment to repeal of the medical device tax during a tour of med-tech companies in her home state.

Med-tech tax ranks among most likely to hurt seniors, tax-reform activist Norquist says

Med-tech tax ranks among most likely to hurt seniors, tax-reform activist Norquist says -massdevice.com:
Conservative tax-reform activist Grover Norquist tallies the medical device levy among the top Obamacare tax hikes that will negatively affect seniors and their access to health care.

House Begins Floor Debate on Repealing a Medicare Payment Board

House Begins Floor Debate on Repealing a Medicare Payment Board-cqhealthbeat.com:
An IPAB repeal measure is combined with limits on malpractice awards, while a House panel queries the CMS insurance regulator.
The House is set to begin consideration today of a bill that would eliminate a major fiscal control element of the health care overhaul law — the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). The board’s unusual provider payment adjustment process, established by the health overhaul law, offers more than advisory suggestions. The board’s payment determinations and any congressional alterations are afforded protected legislative procedures that effectively limit lawmaker interference. The extreme legislative limitations for action on the board’s recommendations have earned some bipartisan ire amongst lawmakers. The House Rules Committee on Tuesday packaged the IPAB repeal measure (previously HR 452) with a separate bill (HR 5) limiting malpractice awards. The malpractice limitation bill, a longstanding objective of many Republicans, offers a fiscal offset that counters the higher health spending without the payment adjustment board. Adding the malpractice bill, which is widely opposed by Democrats, effectively cancels that group’s support for eliminating the IPAB.

Medical device tax: Companies may need up to 6 months to prepare

Medical device tax: Companies may need up to 6 months to prepare-massdevice.com:
The medical device tax will be more complicated to implement than it appears, a tax expert tells MassDevice.

Health-care reform: what to watch for

Health-care reform: what to watch for- politico.com:
The law turns two years old on Friday, and its third year will see other milestones that will determine how it works — if it survives. States have to do their part to implement it, and some will do little or nothing. Health care providers have to decide whether to participate in experiments on controlling costs and testing new ways of delivering care.Read more:

GOP Lawmakers Seek to Remove Malpractice Provisions From IPAB Repeal

GOP Lawmakers Seek to Remove Malpractice Provisions From IPAB Repeal-cqhealthbeat.com:

Two GOP lawmakers are seeking to strip out the medical liability language that is expected to be paired with legislation to repeal a Medicare cost-cutting board.
Republican Reps. Paul Broun of Georgia and Lee Terry of Nebraska have submitted to the Rules Committee an amendment to remove the language; the panel is slated to meet Tuesday afternoon to report a rule for floor consideration.
Legislation to scrap the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) is expected to be considered as part of a measure (HR 5) that would impose federal caps on some medical malpractice awards, according to bill text released by the Rules Committee on March 12.
The House is likely to take up the measure on Wednesday.

MDUFMA: White House clears user fee proposal

MDUFMA: White House clears user fee proposal-massdevice.com:
The White House Office of Management & Budget signs off on the draft proposal for the next generation of the Medical Device User Fee & Modernization Act.

Obama campaign video embraces health reform law

Obama campaign video embraces health reform law-politico.com:
A new, 17-minute video by President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign suggests that Obama will start to embrace the health reform law again — or, at least, let his campaign do it for him.

Poll: Most Americans expect SCOTUS to repeal health reform law

Poll: Most Americans expect SCOTUS to repeal health reform law-washingtonpost.com: A new Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll finds most Americans expect that the Supreme Court will rule that the health reform law is unconstitutional. In a separate question, Kaiser finds 14 percent think the court has already overturned the Affordable Care Act.

Max Baucus is still health bill fan

Max Baucus is still health bill fan-politico.com:
When the Supreme Court takes up the health care law a week from Monday, Max Baucus will be front and center to watch the proceedings.Read more:

Health-Law War Heats Up as Court Review Nears

Health-Law War Heats Up as Court Review Nears-wsj.com: Democrats and Republicans are reviving their competing campaigns over the health-overhaul law in advance of the Supreme Court's review of the measure this month.

Device trials- more women needed

Device trials- more women needed- massdevice.com: The FDA is considering a new, non-binding guidance that would encourage companies to include more women in their medical device clinical trials. A new article in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Sanket Dhruva and Rita Redberg of the University of California at San Francisco offers this example to show its necessity:

5 things to watch in Mississippi, Alabama House races-politico.com

Election 2012 Coverage: House race
5 things to watch in Mississippi, Alabama House races-politico.com: As voters in Alabama and Mississippi cast ballots in House primaries, Tuesday will tell whether the anti-incumbent sentiment that ousted Ohio GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt claims any more casualties.

Moody's estimates med-tech tax impact-massdevice.com

Moody's estimates med-tech tax impact-massdevice.com: The 2.3% tax on revenues slated to go into effect next year for medical device makers could top $650 million for the med-tech companies covered by Moody's Investor Services, according to a report by the ratings agency.

Health law faces its biggest test

Health law faces its biggest test-politico.com:
In two weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the case that could lead to the biggest “I told you so” of 2012.
The challenge to President Barack Obama’s health care reform law will result in the court either upholding it — giving bragging rights to Obama and congressional Democrats — or finding major pieces of it unconstitutional, setting off a political earthquake that would vindicate Republicans and conservative groups.Read more:

Boehner tries to keep budget from becoming an election year issue-washingtonpost.com

Boehner tries to keep budget from becoming an election year issue-washingtonpost.com:
For months, congressional Republicans have hammered Senate Democrats for failing to pass a budget. Now, with their majority position on the line in the November elections, GOP House members are having budget troubles of their own.

A less-centrist Finance Committee-politico.com

A less-centrist Finance Committee-politico.com:
The Senate committee responsible with oversight of Medicare and much of the health reform law is going to look a lot different in 2013, with at least four of its members retiring at the end of the year and others possibly facing tough elections.