OMB examining final rule on coordination of Medicaid, CHIP and exchanges

Also in the news, Roll Call takes a look at what action to expect, and who on Capitol Hill will be in the hot seat, as the Supreme Court works its way through the health law's constitutionality.  

CQ HealthBeat: OMB Scrutinizing Final Rule On Medicaid, CHIP And Exchanges
A final rule dealing with Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program and how they will fit into the health benefits exchanges is now under review by the Office of Management and Budget, typically the last step before a regulation is published. The Department of Health and Human Services issued the proposed regulation in August to coordinate the public programs and the exchanges. Under the law, beginning in 2014 states must extend Medicaid to all residents age 65 and younger who earn up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (Norman, 1/27).

Roll Call: Health Care: Five Aides To Know
The pivotal health care policy players this year are the nine justices on the Supreme Court, who are on course to decide the constitutionality of the 2010 overhaul by June. If it's struck down, Hill Republicans will start deliberating a replacement; if it's upheld, Democrats will move to put it into full effect. In the interim, attention will be focused anew on the long-term future of the Medicare formula for reimbursing doctors (1/27).