(Reuters) — U.S. Congressional forecasters today once again cut their estimate of Obamacare’s costs, citing unexpectedly less spending on premium subsidies and lower enrollment rates through exchanges set up under the 2010 reform.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — American Action Forum president and former Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Holtz-Eakin called for an end to the 2.3% medical device tax, calling the levy a "policy lemon" that unfairly injures small businesses that are incubators of innovation.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — An Canadian study of the return on investment in heart research found that for every $1 spent on cardiovascular research, the nation sees a 21% income stream.
Heart research in Canada is mostly funded by the government and by nonprofit organizations in the Great White North.
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MASSDEVICE ON CALL — President Barack Obama’s proposed changes to Medicare and other program could help significantly reduce spending, lower the national debt and cut deficit spending over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s calculations.
If enacted, President Obama’s policies would cut about $1.1 trillion in deficit spending between 2014 and 2023, compared with the CBO’s baseline for those years, the office reported last week. Deficits would initially grow between 2013 and 2015 but decrease by increasing amounts thereafter, the CBO said.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The Congressional Budget Office is looking to pour cold water on Republican attempts to repeal the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act in advance of today’s vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a letter to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), CBO director Doug Elmendorf warned the former vice presidential hopeful that repealing the landmark healthcare law would result in "a net increase in budget deficits of $109 billion over the 2013-2022 period."
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A bipartisan U.S. House bill would end the cycle of so-called "doc fixes" that have averted Medicare reimbursement cuts since rate hikes were linked to the sustainable growth rate in 1997.
Legislators most recently enacted a bypass of a looming rate cut last month as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations, averting a 27% pay cut for Medicare payments to physicians.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The FDA’s medical device review arm unveiled a new organization scheme, adding a pair of new review divisions and 12 new branches.
The Center for Devices & Radiological Health began operating under the new plan at the start of the month, featuring separate divisions for surgical and for neurological/physical medicine devices.
The agency hopes to "reduce the manager to staff ratios and better align product areas as well as accommodate the new MDUFA hires that will be coming into the Center," according to the FDA Law Blog.
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The Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act, while keeping healthcare reform intact, may have cut the measure’s deficit spending potential nearly in half.
The non-partisan (yet frequently contested) Congressional Budget Office released today an updated estimate of the costs associated with the ACA, taking into account new provisions for Medicaid expansion given the Supreme Court’s recent rulings.
By Stewart Eisenhart, Emergo Group
Ahead of highly anticipated US Congressional votes to repeal the planned 2.3% medical device excise tax, an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office anticipates $29.1 billion in lost federal revenues through 2022 if the repeal goes into effect.
Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three med-tech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
If you read nothing else today, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +3.
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