Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report: Government Skipped Key Requirements Awarding Healthcare.gov Contracts
The federal government skipped key contracting requirements when awarding hundreds of millions of dollars to build the troubled HealthCare.gov site, according to an inspector general’s report. The investigation published Tuesday by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health & Human Services found the federal government failed to probe fully the past performance of CGI Federal Inc., a subsidiary of a Canadian information technology firm, before awarding it a contract to construct basic parts of the insurance enrollment site. (Radnofsky, 1/20)
Almost 140 small businesses have signed up their employees for health coverage through the state's new small business exchange by using outside contractors and paper applications, according to information presented at the exchange's monthly board meeting Tuesday. The long-delayed business website created under the Affordable Care Act will allow employees to compare plans and enroll completely online by Jan. 1, 2016, exchange officials said. (Cohn, 1/20)
Oklahoma State Rep. Mike Ritze is a foot soldier — one of hundreds — in a passionate war over the Affordable Care Act that is reigniting as state legislatures convene across the country. The Republican lawmaker, a family doctor, has stood behind three anti-Obamacare bills supported by conservative groups in Oklahoma and other states. None has made it into law, but Ritze plans to pick up the fight in the 2015 legislative session that convenes in the Sooner state next month. (Schulte, 1/21)
Also, the tax implications of the health law are examined --
Are you thinking about tax day yet? Your friendly neighborhood tax preparer is. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen declared this tax season one of the most complicated ever, and tax preparers from coast to coast are trying to get ready for the first year that the Affordable Care Act will show up on your tax form. (Dembosky and Cohen, 1/21)
New York's health exchange says it is sending out more than 300,000 tax statements to households where someone enrolled for private health coverage through the exchange last year. The statements required under the federal Affordable Care Act are for use in filing federal tax returns for 2014 by those who enrolled through the exchange in a qualified insurance plan and are taking tax credits. (1/21)
The Affordable Care Act is supposed to make health care coverage universal and more affordable to millions of Americans, but it might also make filing your 2014 taxes more cumbersome and more expensive. (Cole, 1/20)
