In March 2017, several legislative changes impacted the healthcare industry with Republicans releasing the long-awaited ACA replacement plan.
Here are four changes for ASC leaders to note:
Florida Senate approves 24-hour stays in ASCs
The Florida Senate passed a bill permitting overnight stays at ASCs. Prior versions of the bill passed in the state House, but never gained traction in the Florida Senate in past years. While the Senate passed this portion of the bill, legislators did not echo the same support for recovery care centers, which allows patients to spend up to 72 hours in post-surgical recovery facilities outside of hospitals.
Republicans put forth American Health Care Act
On March 6, 2017, House Republicans put forth the American Health Care Act which has key provisions including eliminating the ACA's individual mandate and allowing Medicaid expansion to remain in effect through Jan. 1, 2020. For more on the proposed law, click here.
Judge rules ASC should have access to malpractice insurer data to discover potential bias
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole will allow a Chicago-based ASC to pursue documents from the American Physicians Assurance Corp. to discover whether the company had an incentive in place that worked against the center's best interest. The ASC worked with APAC, a medical malpractice payer, after a 2003 incident at the center that led to a malpractice suit.
Single-payer healthcare legislator hits California Senate floor
California Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, introduced a bill to the state Senate last week that would create a single-payer healthcare system. While those in favor say the bill would make healthcare affordable and efficient, opponents say such a system would increase taxpayer costs and would give more power to government officials.