Hemophilia Federation of America is a national nonprofit organization that assists, educates and advocates for the bleeding disorders community.
Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions and Coverage Standards at Risk Twenty patient groups representing millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to prioritize patient protections, including those for people with pre-existing conditions, when it hears oral arguments Tuesday in the case of California v. Texas (previously Texas v. United States). 聽The […]
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead To find an example of the type of group Margaret Mead speaks about in her famous quote, look no further than our bleeding disorders community. From the 1990s with the passage […]
Policy and advocacy work is increasingly important at the state level. In an effort to keep you informed about the work happening on the ground at the local level, HFA is debuting a quarterly update, “State of the States.” Stay up-to-date and read about the work happening close to you! The COVID emergency has upended […]
Click Below to Translate Page to Spanish. Product recall announced On July 21, CSL Behring and Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced a聽recall聽of multiple lots of Stimate (desmopressin),聽in the United States and in other countries around the world. The recall was prompted by the manufacturer鈥檚 discovery of out-of-specification levels of the active ingredient in the marketed product. This聽announcement […]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services releases rule paring back anti-discrimination provisions On June 12th, the HHS Office of Civil Rights released a final rule聽re-interpreting anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The new rule removes explicit patient protections against discrimination by health care providers and insurers. HFA joined with twenty-eight other patient and […]
HFA joined with twenty-eight other patient and health advocacy groups to issue the following statement 聽regarding a final rule released by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights/HHS on Friday, June 12th. The rule, interpreting anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act, removes explicit patient protections against discrimination by health care providers and insurers. The groups鈥 […]
Click Below to Translate Page to Spanish. Federal rule allows health plans to discount manufacturer copay assistance. On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule that affects individuals who rely on聽patient copay assistance programs. The HHS rule (the 鈥2021 Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters,鈥 or NBPP) allows […]
Patient and health advocacy groups representing millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions filed an聽amicus curiae or friend of the court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act in the case of聽California v. Texas (previously Texas v. United States). The case is on appeal from lower court decisions invalidating (in whole […]
On March 2, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear an appeal from the Fifth Circuit ruling in Texas v. United States, a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. In earlier phases of that litigation, a federal district court and an appellate court had ruled that the ACA鈥檚 individual […]
Click Below to Translate Page to Spanish. Federal insurance rules proposed for 2021 Plan Year. Every year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes a federal rule (the 鈥淣otice of Benefits and Payment Parameters,鈥 or NBPP) to govern operations of the ACA marketplaces and ACA health plans for the coming year. The 2021 […]
Click Below to Translate Page to Spanish. HFA and NHF co-hosted a Safety Summit in Washington, D.C., over three days at the end of January. The summit was convened in recognition and response to community concerns arising from a series of drug safety reports in 2019. Those safety incidents rocked the hemophilia community 鈥 and […]
Patient and health advocacy groups representing millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions filed an amicus curiae or friend of the court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to immediately take up the case of Texas v. United States. The case is the latest court challenge to the health care law known as the Affordable Care […]
Twenty-four organizations representing millions of patients strongly support the petitions filed today by state attorneys general and by the U.S. House of Representatives that seek expedited U.S. Supreme Court review of last month鈥檚 Texas v. United States ruling.聽 The coalition issued the following statement:聽 鈥淥ur organizations, representing millions of individuals and families affected by chronic […]
On December 18, 2019, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited ruling in Texas v. United States, a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The 5th Circuit ruling upholds (in part) an earlier lower court decision that declared the ACA to be unconstitutional, due to Congress鈥 2017 enactment of […]
Last Wednesday evening, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in Texas v. United States, a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The bleeding disorders community has been anxiously awaiting this pivotal court decision. HFA staff want to update you on what is known at this point. The 5th […]
Patient advocacy groups representing millions of Americans with serious health conditions decried a December 18th聽ruling from the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Texas v. United States, a case concerning the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The Fifth Circuit ruling strikes down the ACA鈥檚 individual mandate and sends the case back to the […]
Open Enrollment for 2020 insurance plans ends soon 鈥 don鈥檛 miss out! The Open Enrollment Period聽for 2020 insurance plans ends soon for Medicare plans, for individual insurance plans (in most states), and for many employer health insurance programs. It is important to take action during this timeframe to assure you have health coverage for 2020. […]
HFA continues to monitor the Texas v. United States case, in which a U.S. district court declared that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional by virtue of Congress鈥檚 2017 repeal of the ACA鈥檚 individual mandate tax penalty. The district court ruling has been appealed by California and 19 other states, along with the U.S. […]
Featured Stories: HFA held a Patient Fly-in and Virtual Hill Day聽on June 10, 2019. Twenty-four community members from 14 different states came to Washington, D.C. to tell their lawmakers about living with bleeding disorders 鈥 and to explain what people in our community need in terms of quality, affordable health coverage. Fly-in participants also urged […]
Featured Story: CMS decides against allowing Medicare plans to limit coverage of 鈥減rotected class鈥 drugs. This past month brought some welcome news from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. On May 16, CMS released a final rule on drug pricing in the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs. In that final rule, […]
Featured Story: Some relief ahead from accumulator adjusters. Finally some good news regarding accumulator adjusters! Patient advocates, including HFA, have been warning lawmakers that accumulator adjuster programs threaten access to care for people with chronic health conditions. In recent weeks, state and federal lawmakers signaled they have heard this message and took steps to rein […]
17 Patient Groups Urge Appeals Court to Uphold Health Care Law Loss of Patient Protections Would Raise Barriers to Health Insurance HFA joined a group of seventeen patient advocacy organizations in filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief today in case of Texas v. United States, pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals […]
Featured Story: Federal court rules that the ACA is unconstitutional: Texas v. Azar On Friday, Dec. 14, we learned a federal judge had ruled in the case of Texas v. Azar聽that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety. This news has alarmed many. HFA staff posted a number of updates to tell the […]
Last Friday evening, we learned that a federal judge had ruled in the case of Texas v. Azar聽that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety. This news has alarmed many. HFA staff want to update you on what we know at this point. First and foremost, please be aware that this ruling does […]
HFA learned late Friday night that a federal court has struck down the entire Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. You can find an explanation of聽the lawsuit (Texas v. Azar) here and can read a description of the latest ruling here. HFA is studying the ruling and will post a more detailed update soon. In the […]
Featured stories: Healthcare was a driving issue for many voters in the 2018 mid-term elections. The results of the 2018 election are in and we now know that the 116th聽Congress will be a divided Congress 鈥 聽a Republican Senate and a Democratic House. Will the new Congress do anything to impact access to meaningful healthcare? […]
Featured stories: New HHS policy could diminish protections for people who depend on quality, affordable health insurance. On Oct. 22, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new guidance spelling out how states can win approval to waive various Affordable Care Act requirements. This arcane new policy could seriously impact protections for patients […]
As we鈥檝e previously reported, several lawsuits are currently pending in federal courts concerning aspects of the Affordable Care Act. One lawsuit questions whether the ACA is still valid, despite the elimination of the individual mandate penalty; other cases take an opposite tack, challenging recent Administration actions and rulemakings as inconsistent with the ACA. Today, HFA […]
Featured Stories: As November draws near, #DefendPreEx remains in the spotlight. We have written before about聽Texas v. United States, a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. In September, the federal court with jurisdiction over the case held a hearing to consider the parties鈥 arguments. At issue […]
New federal rules, released Aug. 1, roll back limits on short-term health plans. Short-term plans are primarily designed to bridge gaps in coverage that can occur, e.g., when an individual is transitioning between jobs. As such, these plans don鈥檛 have to meet Affordable Care Act standards. They can deny coverage and/or can charge higher premiums […]
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