Hemophilia Federation of America is a national nonprofit organization that assists, educates and advocates for the bleeding disorders community.
For the second year in a row, HFA鈥檚 Patient Fly-In took place as a virtual event. Two dozen community members together with HFA staff made forty (!) Zoom visits with Congressional offices during the week of November 15th. The timing of the Fly-In 鈥 always a bit of a gamble 鈥 ended up being very […]
Policy and advocacy sessions were among the many programs on tap at HFA鈥檚 recently concluded 2021 Symposium. Thank you to all who attended! It was wonderful to 鈥渟ee鈥 you at our virtual event 鈥 even as we plan, and fervently hope, to see you in person at HFA鈥檚 2022 Symposium in San Antonio. For those […]
As September ends, HFA continues to closely monitor action on the 鈥淏uild Back Better鈥 Act. Congressional leaders are trying to pass this legislation, which embodies President Biden鈥檚 social infrastructure agenda, via the budget reconciliation process (i.e., a simple majority vote, almost certainly along party lines). The bill, which includes numerous health care proposals, comes with […]
With Medicaid much in the news in August, it seemed timely to offer a refresher on how Medicaid is structured, and why it鈥檚 important to many in the bleeding disorders community. Medicaid is a public health insurance program for low-income individuals, families, seniors, and people with disabilities. States set up and run their own Medicaid […]
Administration Issues First Rule on the No Surprises Act On July 1, the Administration issued a first set of rules implementing the聽No Surprises Act. The statute and rules target the all-too-common problem of surprise or balance billing. Surprise billing can happen when a patient inadvertently gets services from an out-of-network (OON) health care provider. Maybe […]
The Affordable Care Act Remains the Law of the Land On June 17th, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its long-awaited decision in California v. Texas, a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. By a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court held that the parties objecting to the ACA (18 state attorneys general […]
ACA ENHANCEMENTS BOOST HEALTH PLAN ENROLLMENT The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on May 11 that more than 1 million Americans have signed up for coverage on www.HealthCare.gov during the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that opened February 15. The SEP 鈥 still ongoing, in most states 鈥 creates broad new opportunities for […]
States Act to Protect Consumers from Copay Accumulators In a major victory for consumers, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Arkansas enacted legislation this month to prevent health plans from pocketing the copay assistance that provides a critical lifeline to persons with bleeding disorders and other costly conditions. Health plans鈥 use of harmful 鈥渃opay accumulator adjusters鈥 鈥 the […]
COVID relief legislation makes health coverage more accessible and affordable On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act into law. This sweeping measure provides economic relief to individuals, families, businesses, schools, and state and local governments. The law offers new incentives for holdout states to expand their Medicaid programs […]
Responding to the ongoing pandemic, the federal government has opened a special enrollment period (SEP) in the Healthcare.gov insurance marketplaces. This enrollment opportunity will run from Feb. 15聽to May 15聽in the 36 states that use the Healthcare.gov enrollment platform (most of the remaining states have already announced that they, too, will open a new 2021 […]
The 2021 federal health policy outlook started to come into sharper focus in early January, when runoff elections for both of Georgia鈥檚 Senate seats were decided. The election of Democratic Sens. Warnock and Ossoff means that the U.S. Senate is split 50-50 between the parties, with the Democrats holding the slimmest of majorities (Vice President […]
As we enter the new year, there are good reasons to hope the U.S. may soon round the corner on COVID-19. In the meantime, though, we all still need to follow the guidelines of our public health authorities: stay home if sick, practice social distancing, avoid indoor settings, wear masks, and wash our hands. Please […]
HFA鈥檚 virtual 2020 Patient Fly-in took place over the week of Nov. 16.聽 Sixteen community members connected with their lawmakers via phone and Zoom to describe what it鈥檚 like to live with a bleeding disorder 鈥 and to explain what people in this community need in terms of quality, affordable health coverage. Fly-in participants also […]
Open Enrollment begins for 2021 insurance plans Open Enrollment聽is a time frame each year when health insurance plans聽are required by law to accept applications from聽new plan聽enrollees regardless of their health history. This also is the time when you can choose to stay with your existing health plan if it is the right one for you. […]
Update on ACA lawsuit The death of eminent Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18th brought renewed attention to the fate of the Affordable Care Act. As previously reported, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ACA (California v. Texas) is pending in the Supreme Court. Because Justice Ginsburg was considered a likely […]
Policy and advocacy sessions sparked robust discussions at HFA鈥檚 recently concluded 2020 Symposium! Thank you to all who attended 鈥 it was wonderful to 鈥渟ee鈥 you at our virtual event. For those who couldn鈥檛 join us in real time, you can still view the recorded sessions on your own schedule for the next few months […]
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 […]
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 […]
Durante el mes de abril, la emergencia de COVID-19 continu贸 dominando las vidas de los estadounidenses y las agendas de los legisladores. Estas son algunas de las novedades del mes. Un cuarto proyecto de ley de alivio de COVID se convirti贸 en ley el 24 de abril. R. 266 repone el Programa de Protecci贸n de […]
Over the month of April, the COVID-19 emergency continued to dominate Americans鈥 lives 鈥 and lawmakers鈥 agendas. Here are some of the month鈥檚 developments. A fourth COVID relief bill was signed into law on April 24th. R. 266 replenishes the Paycheck Protection Program (established in the March CARES Act but quickly depleted) with an additional […]
COVID-19 cambi贸 la vida de pr谩cticamente todos en el transcurso del 煤ltimo mes, y parece probable que las interrupciones en el trabajo, la escuela, la atenci贸n m茅dica y la vida cotidiana en todo el pa铆s contin煤en por un tiempo m谩s. En medio de esta perturbaci贸n, HFA quiere asegurarle que continuaremos sirvi茅ndole y apoy谩ndole. Estamos trabajando […]
COVID-19 upended the lives of virtually everyone over the course of the last month 鈥 and it appears likely that nationwide disruptions to work, school, healthcare, and everyday life will continue for some time longer. Amidst this upheaval, HFA wants to reassure you that we will continue to serve and support you. We are working […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Open Enrollment begins for 2020 insurance plans. The Open Enrollment Period聽is a time frame each year when health insurance plans聽are required by law to accept applications from聽new plan聽enrollees regardless of their health history. This also is the time when you can choose to stay with your existing health plan if it is the right one […]
The drug pricing debate聽in Washington resumed when Congress returned from its summer recess 鈥 though many observers question whether Congress will be able to pass legislation this year, due to policy disagreements between the majority and minority parties; the short period of time available before the 2020 elections; and the spillover effects of the impeachment […]
New rule causes concern over legal immigrants鈥 use of Medicaid and certain other public benefits En Espa帽ol Patient groups聽representing millions of Americans with serious health conditions voiced strong concern about a U.S. Department of Homeland Security final rule released on August 12, 2019. The new rule directs DHS to broadly expand the 鈥減ublic charge鈥 evaluation […]
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