Health lobbyists, advocates brace for much-anticipated accountable care organization regulations

ACOs continue to hold attention, with the administration's rule expected this week. Meanwhile, other reform news includes reports about health exchanges and a medical device tax.

Politico: 1,000+ Pages Of Health Care Rules?
Health care lobbyists and advocates are bracing for six pages of the health care reform law to explode into more than 1,000 pages of federal regulations when the Department of Health and Human Services releases its long-delayed accountable care organization rules this week (Nather and Feder, 3/29).

CQHealthbeat: CMS Officials Await An ACO Flood — Or Drought
There likely will be many different models and approaches proposed for accountable care organizations within Medicare, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services intends to consider all the groups that apply, a top agency official said at a conference Tuesday. But it's still not clear how many applications will come in the door once rules governing the organizations — known as ACOs — are put in place, said Marilyn Tavenner, CMS's principal deputy administrator (Norman, 3/29).

Kaiser Health News: Health Insurance Exchanges Already Making Waves
Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports: "It seems like a simple idea: create new marketplaces, called 'exchanges,' where consumers can comparison shop for health insurance, sort of like shopping online for a hotel room or airline ticket. But, like almost everything else connected with the health overhaul law, state-based insurance 'exchanges' are embroiled in politics" (Appleby, 3/30).

The Hill: Hospitals Fear They'll Pay The Cost Of Medical Device Tax
Hospitals groups are afraid a health care reform tax on medical device manufacturers will wind up hurting them more than the device makers. The reform provision, which is the target of repeal efforts in the House and Senate, imposes a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of most medical devices starting in 2013. But hospital groups are worried the device tax may be implemented in a way that allows the manufacturers to pass the bill onto other health care stakeholders, mainly hospitals (Millman, 3/29).