Affordable Care Act

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare, and is the landmark federal health reform legislation signed into law in March 2010. Much of the ACA was modeled on Massachusetts’ groundbreaking healthcare reform law of 2006. MHA engages with congressional leaders and their staffs to bring MHA’s and our members’ unique experience and perspective to the fore as the ACA is implemented, assessed and revised.
02.10.2020  | State of the Union Speech Includes Healthcare Priorities
President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address last Tuesday, in which he pledged to guarantee coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions, protect Medicare, and sign legislation to dramatically “lower prescription prices.”
02.03.2020  | CMS Unveils Medicaid Block Grant Proposal; Critics Pounce
The Trump Administration unveiled its newest version of Medicaid block grants last Thursday –a proposal it calls “Healthy Adult Opportunity.”
01.27.2020  | Supreme Court Won’t Accelerate ACA Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will not undertake an expedited review of the Affordable Care Act.
01.20.2020  | MHA Joins Supreme Court Amicus Brief to Defend ACA
MHA joined 32 other state hospital associations last Wednesday in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the ACA.
01.13.2020  | ACA Proponents Ask for Quick Action; Justices Seem to Say, OK
The Supreme Court gave the Trump Administration and other parties opposing the ACA a quick timeline to file briefs.
12.23.2019  | Congress Once Again Kicks DSH Cuts Down the Field
The $1.4 trillion spending deal that the House and Senate approved and that the president was expected to sign last Friday delays scheduled cuts to disproportionate share hospitals through May 22, 2020.
12.23.2019  | The Individual Mandate Ruling: What Does it Mean for Mass.?
Legal observers are predicting that the case that has been bounced back to Texas will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
10.28.2019  | Rep. Kennedy Slams CMS Chief Over Medicaid Work Requirement
U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy pressed CMS Administrator Seema Verma to defend the administration-endorsed efforts to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients.
05.06.2019  | Medicare for All: Tens of Trillions and Cuts to Providers
The U.S. House held its first ever “Medicare for All” hearing on April 30 before the House Rules Committee, chaired by Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern (D).
04.22.2019  | Medicare for All is NOT the Answer
Scrapping the entire current healthcare system and replacing it with a “Medicare for All” plan would cause more harm than good, MHA President & CEO Steve Walsh said last week.
04.01.2019  | Don’t Destroy the ACA; Improve It
House Democrats introduced a series of bills to strengthen the ACA and expand its reach.
04.01.2019  | President, Declaring He Now Understands Healthcare, Moves to Gut ACA
The Trump administration last week asked a U.S. Appeals Court to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act.
03.18.2019  | Hospitals on Board With 3.1% Benchmark – With Caveats
The Health Policy Commission in coming months is scheduled to decide on whether the state’s healthcare cost growth benchmark – currently set at 3.1% – should remain at that level.
02.25.2019  | Hospital Groups Call Attention, Again, to Pending DSH Cuts
In a letter to Congressional leadership last week, a group of hospital associations, including the American Hospital Association, noted that the ACA coverage goals have not been fully achieved – but that DSH cuts remain.
01.28.2019  | What to Expect in the Federal Healthcare Arena
The American Hospital Association (AHA) last week laid out its 2019 public policy agenda.
01.07.2019  | House First Order of Business: Defend ACA
The new Democratic House was expected to pass a rules package that includes a provision allowing it to intervene in a federal lawsuit that is challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
01.07.2019  | A New Congress with Massachusetts Muscle
The new 116th Congress was sworn in last Thursday and its leadership contains some Massachusetts members.
12.24.2018  | Efforts Underway to Defend the ACA
State Attorney Generals across the U.S. will be working through the Christmas holiday preparing expedited briefs supporting the Affordable Care Act.
11.12.2018  | Rep. Neal in New Post Says the Focus is Healthcare
Now that Democrats have regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal (D) will become chairman of the powerful Ways & Means Committee.
09.03.2018  | GOP Pre-Existing Condition Bill Faces Unclear Path
Nearly a dozen Republican senators introduced legislation to bar health insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions.

Resources

Click on the links below for easy access to information on important federal healthcare matters and MHA’s advocacy, outreach and other work on these issues.

Both of these include links to members list, committees, and legislation and records.