CMS says positive ICD-10 test results prove agency is ready for Oct. 1

CMS says positive ICD-10 test results prove agency is ready for Oct. 1-modernhealthcare: As providers around the country brace for the Oct. 1 conversion to ICD-10 diagnostic and procedural codes, the CMS is reporting positive results from the final round of end-to-end testing of the Medicare claims processing system.

Acting CMS Head Still Being Vetted After More Than a Year on the Job

Acting CMS Head Still Being Vetted After More Than a Year on the Job-morningconsult: Andy Slavitt’s confirmation is up in the air. The Senate Finance Committee has yet to announce a hearing for President Obama’s pick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, even though Slavitt has served as the Acting Administrator for CMS since July 2014.

When Congress returns from vacation, budget fight looms

When Congress returns from vacation, budget fight looms-reuters: The U.S. Congress will soon embark on a high-stakes budget negotiation with President Barack Obama that, if productive, could give Republicans the increased military spending they want and Democrats the increased domestic spending they seek.

Rubio: GOP Needs 60 Votes to Repeal Obamacare

Rubio: GOP Needs 60 Votes to Repeal Obamacare-rollcall: Sen. Marco Rubio sounds rather bearish on repealing Obamacare anytime soon, even if he or another Republican becomes president. Outlining his economic and foreign policy visions at a town hall meeting in Londonderry, N.H., on Wednesday, the Floridian said upending the 2010 health care overhaul law would take the support of a filibuster-proof supermajority of 60 senators.

Senate Will Try to Repeal Obamacare Medical Device Tax in the Fall

Senate Will Try to Repeal Obamacare Medical Device Tax in the Fall-nationaljournal: The Senate will make an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act's medical-device tax before the end of the calendar year, according to a Republican and Democratic aide.

House GOP leaders desperate to avoid shutdown

House GOP leaders desperate to avoid shutdown-politico: An explosive confrontation brewing between the House Republican leadership and conservatives over Planned Parenthood is threatening to shut down the government for the second time in three years. And House GOP leaders have yet to settle on a strategy to avert it.

House GOP adds healthcare tax bill to fall agenda

House GOP adds healthcare tax bill to fall agenda-thehill: House GOP leaders are eyeing a package of healthcare bills this fall that will target some of the most despised taxes under the Affordable Care Act. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee's Health Subcommittee, said he expects a comprehensive bill repealing healthcare taxes to be ready sometime after lawmakers return from recess.

California's Obamacare exchange criticized for not fixing enrollment, tax errors

California's Obamacare exchange criticized for not fixing enrollment, tax errors-latimes: In response to blistering criticism from a consumer group, California's Obamacare exchange vowed to fix longstanding enrollment and tax-related errors that have blocked consumers from getting coverage for months and left some with unforeseen bills.

China Worries Could Hurt Pharma’s Health

China Worries Could Hurt Pharma’s Health-wsj: China’s devaluation of the yuan hurts sales for global pharmaceutical companies, and recent moves by the Chinese government to reduce health-care spending could make it more difficult for drug companies to profit as they have in the past.

House Republicans Really Think They Can Amend Obamacare This Fall

House Republicans Really Think They Can Amend Obamacare This Fall-nationaljournal: While congressional leaders continue to debate whether to pursue near-full repeal of the Affordable Care Act through budget reconciliation, and GOP presidential candidates lay out Obamacare-replacement proposals, House Republicans are looking at a smaller batch of changes to the health care law they think could make it to President Obama's desk.

House lawsuit against Obama is turning into a real problem for the president

House lawsuit against Obama is turning into a real problem for the president-latimes: An unprecedented House lawsuit against President Obama that was once derided as a certain loser looks stronger now and may soon deliver an early legal round to Republican lawmakers complaining of executive branch overreach.

Health Insurer Mergers Signify Shift in Health Care Marketplace

Health Insurer Mergers Signify Shift in Health Care Marketplace-usnews: The federal government was once primarily a regulator of the health insurance industry, but in recent years it has become a customer by helping to finance plans under Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care and Obamacare.

Senate Dems Demand Budget Negotiations

Senate Dems Demand Budget Negotiations-morningconsult: Just weeks before the end of the fiscal year, Senate Democrats on Tuesday demanded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell open bipartisan budget negotiations before Congress returns from its August recess in order to avoid a last-minute debacle that could risk shutting down the federal government.

Republicans Spending Early to Boost Chances to Keep Senate

Republicans Spending Early to Boost Chances to Keep Senate-rollcall: As Republicans look to defend their newfound Senate majority in 2016, early television and digital spending has more than quadrupled from this same point last cycle, a CQ Roll Call analysis shows.

Rubiocare Would Upend Traditional Health Insurance

Rubiocare Would Upend Traditional Health Insurance-rollcall: Sen. Marco Rubio’s proposed health care alternative would dramatically alter the health insurance landscape in America — well beyond repealing Obamacare.

Scott Walker gets out front with Obamacare replacement plan

Scott Walker gets out front with Obamacare replacement plan-politico: The Republican presidential contenders all claim they want to repeal Obamacare, but later Tuesday, Scott Walker will become the first top-tier candidate to deliver a detailed blueprint on what would come next.

Ahead of Obamacare Repeal Rollout, Walker Stocks Up On Advisers Familiar With Capitol Hill

Ahead of Obamacare Repeal Rollout, Walker Stocks Up On Advisers Familiar With Capitol Hill-rollcall: As Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker sets out to unveil his proposal to replace Obamacare, he’s been staffing up from Capitol Hill.

States shift healthcare dollars; activists cry foul

States shift healthcare dollars; activists cry foul-thehill: States are shifting dollars they once spent on children’s health into roadways and tax cuts, raising fears for advocates that important healthcare programs could lose their funding. Kansas, Indiana and California are among the states looking to relocate money away from their Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) as the federal government begins picking up more of the tab this year

Why Republicans Can't Stop Obama's Executive Actions on Day One

Why Republicans Can't Stop Obama's Executive Actions on Day One-nationaljournal: The 2016 GOP contenders have made some pretty ambitious and far-reaching plans for their first day in office. Rick Perry said he'd show up on Day One with "a bottle of White-Out … to get started on all those executive orders that Mr. Obama has put his name to." Ted Cruz cast the net wide, pledging to use part of his first day in office to "rescind every illegal and unconstitutional action taken by Barack Obama."

House Democratic Prospects Improve for 2016

Ratings Changes in 6 House Races-rollcall: The race for president will continue to dominate the 2016 landscape, with the fight for the Senate sucking up any remaining oxygen molecules. But Democrats haven’t given up their effort to dig out of the minority in the House.

House Republicans, Seizing on Health Law, Challenge Executive Branch

House Republicans, Seizing on Health Law, Challenge Executive Branch-newyorktimes: Angry at what they saw as the Obama administration’s frequent flouting of congressional authority, House Republicans last year began casting about for a way to fight back.

Trump’s Lead Grows After Debate, Controversy

Trump’s Lead Grows After Debate, Controversy-morningconsult: Real estate magnate Donald Trump’s lead over the Republican field grew in the several days after his performance at the first GOP presidential debate, according to a new Morning Consult survey, even after he invited a new round of scorn from fellow candidates over impolitic comments about Fox News host Megyn Kelly.

A debate over U.S. pharmaceuticals is snagging the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal

A debate over U.S. pharmaceuticals is snagging the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal-washpost: For the Obama administration, the heady feeling over congressional passage of trade-promotion authority in June has given way to at least temporary frustration. Twelve-nation talks in Hawaii that many thought might produce a final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement instead broke up at the end of July with no deal.

House GOP Looks Ahead to Huge Medicare Overhaul in 2016

House GOP Looks Ahead to Huge Medicare Overhaul in 2016-nationaljournal: For years, Republicans have openly pined for pushing Medicare further into the private sector. But they have been restrained by the practical realities of divided government and the political risks of a plan that Democrats have said would turn the popular insurance program into a voucher system.

Select Medical May See Effects of New Medicare Rules Before Some Rivals

Select Medical May See Effects of New Medicare Rules Before Some Rivals-wallstreetjournal: New Medicare-payment rules for long-term hospitals that will begin to take place later this year are expected to disruptive throughout the industry. But some facilities owned by Select Medical Holdings Corp. will face the changes months before hospitals run by some of its rivals.

Which Donald Trump Will Debate?

Which Donald Trump Will Debate?-wsj: Which Donald J. Trump will show up at Thursday night’s Republican debate in Cleveland? There’s the Trump who calls the other GOP candidates “clowns” and responds to criticism with schoolyard insults. Then there’s the Trump who last week tweeted about the coming debate: “it is certainly my intention to be very nice & highly respectful of the other candidates.” Mr. Trump seems to have recognized that as the candidate atop the Republican heap, he now will be held to a higher standard than he was as a celebrity polling in low single digits.

Drug companies quietly funnel funds to doctors

Drug companies quietly funnel funds to doctors-bostonglobe: Federal law allows pharmaceutical and medical device companies to funnel millions of dollars a year, without disclosure, to doctors who teach continuing education programs. The conduits for the money are independent companies that sponsor medical lectures for doctors. Since 2011, drug industry payments to these outside companies have risen 25 percent, to $311 million in 2014, according to a Boston Globe analysis.

How will the GOP candidates tackle Obamacare on the debate stage?

How will the GOP candidates tackle Obamacare on the debate stage?-washpost: Center stage will be the man who needs no further introduction. And the big topic will be — are you ready for it? — the Affordable Care Act. Can you hardly wait? I know I can’t.

Entitlement Reform Could Blow Up the GOP Debate

Entitlement Reform Could Blow Up the GOP Debate-nationaljournal: Given Donald Trump's inflammatory rhetoric about undocumented immigrants, the outrage over Planned Parenthood, and President Obama's freshly inked nuclear deal with Iran, the Republican presidential contenders won't lack for material at their first debate Thursday in Cleveland.

Cruz Ready for Next Debt Limit Debate

Cruz Ready for Next Debt Limit Debate-rollcall:  Remember what happened the last time Congress acted to raise the debt limit? Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, certainly does. The 2016 presidential hopeful found himself right in the middle, stopping a February 2014 effort to allow the Senate to vote on a debt ceiling measure with a simple majority.

Senate Lukewarm On Mandatory NIH Funding As Researchers Seek Funds

Senate Lukewarm On Mandatory NIH Funding As Researchers Seek Funds-insidehealthpolicy: As the Senate health committee continues work on its Innovation for Healthier Americans initiative, sources say the upper chamber has not shown much interest in pursuing a mandatory funding stream for the National Institute of Health as was included in the recently passed House 21st Century Cures bill.

Some federal retirees could face extra-large jump in Medicare premiums

Some federal retirees could face extra-large jump in Medicare premiums-washpost: Hundreds of thousands of federal retirees could pay higher Medicare premiums in 2016 than most other enrollees will pay due to a combination of low inflation and a quirk in the law.

Signs of division in the GOP on ObamaCare repeal

Signs of division in the GOP on ObamaCare repeal-thehill: Senate Republican leaders this week narrowly averted an intra-party battle over ObamaCare by again promising to get a repeal bill to the president’s desk through budget reconciliation. But the use of reconciliation — a budget tool that allows bills to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold — is still a matter of debate among Republicans in Congress.

Puerto Ricans Brace for Crisis in Health Care

Puerto Ricans Brace for Crisis in Health Care-newyorktimes: As Puerto Rico faces another hefty cut to a popular Medicare program and grapples with an alarming shortage of Medicaid funds, its health care system is headed for an all-out crisis, which could further undermine the island’s gutted economy.