Small Business 1099 Reporting Requirement Repeal Remains on Agenda
One thing everyone in the health policy community seems to agree on lately is that the inclusion of expanded 1099 reporting provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was a bad idea that will cost U.S. businesses and nonprofits far too much money for little practical purpose. Unfortunately, as with many things in Washington, political concerns derailed multiple efforts this week to repeal or substantially amend the provisions as part of the small business jobs legislation passed by the Senate, and they may jeopardize a stand-alone measure to repeal the provisions next week, too. The political concerns at hand include disagreements as to how to pay for the repeal of the 1099 requirements, as well as reluctance on behalf of most Democrats to support even a limited repeal of the new health care law. Read More

Small Business Jobs Bill Contains NAHU-Backed Provision to Help Sole Proprietors
The Senate voted 61-38 to approve the Small Business Jobs Act yesterday, and NAHU is very pleased that the measure includes a one-year deduction for sole proprietors on health care costs for payroll tax purposes on their 2010 tax returns. While this is only temporary relief from the tax equity issue NAHU has been working hard for years to address, this is a step in the right direction and a foot in the door. Read More

Census Bureau Releases New Uninsured Numbers
The U.S. Census Bureau released new figures yesterday on the number of Americans without health insurance and, not surprisingly, the numbers are on the rise. In 2009, 50.7 million people were without health insurance coverage, up from 46.3 million people in 2008. Read More

NAHU Submits Comments on the Interim Final Preventive Care Coverage Rule
NAHU submitted comments to the Obama administration today on the Interim Final Rules (IFR) for Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Issuers Relating to Coverage of Preventive Services Under PPACA. In our comment letter, NAHU stresses the need for clarification on a number of components of the IFR in order to mitigate confusion for employers and individual health insurance consumers, as well as ensure affordability of private health insurance coverage. Read More

First Democrat Signs the Repeal Petition
Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS) became the first Democrat to sign the discharge petition being circulated in the House by Representative Steve King (R-IA) that would force a vote in the House to repeal PPACA in its entirety. Including Taylor, the petition has 172 signatures, and 218 signatures are needed to force a vote. Read More

Individual Mandate Suit Likely To Move Forward
U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson announced this week that he is likely to allow at least a portion, if not all, of the lawsuit filed by 20 states and the National Federation for Independent Businesses (NFIB) challenging the constitutionality of the PPACA individual mandate to purchase health insurance coverage and Medicaid expansion to proceed. Judge Vinson said he would issue a complete ruling on how the suit may proceed by October 14 and scheduled opening arguments to begin December 16 in Pensacola, FL. He also indicated that it was possible, though unlikely, that the entire case would be wrapped up by the time Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, the originator of the suit, leaves office at the end of the year. Read More

In Case You Were Unclear About Who to Thank
Via Politico’s Maggie Haberman, Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) responding to a constituent asking whether he’s read the health reform law: “Read the bill? I wrote the bill … the bill and I are one.” Read More

DOL Issues New Resource on GINA
The federal Department of Labor released a new frequently asked questions document regarding employer and insurer obligations under the federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The guidance provides a good overview of the legislation and explains how the rules work under the law. Read More