Essential benefits rule, McKinsey study continue to draw headlines

Also, Neal Katyal, the acting solicitor general who has argued four of the cases challenging the health law before appeals courts, has announced that he will leave the Department of Justice at the conclusion of the current Supreme Court term.  

Modern Healthcare: Republican Lawmaker Presses For Date On Essential-Benefits Rule
During a hearing on regulatory reform Monday, the chairman of a House oversight committee pressed an HHS official for a release date for the agency's proposed rule on the healthcare reform law's essential-benefits provision (Zigmond, 6/14).

The Hill: GOP Stands By McKinsey Study
House Republicans on Monday made clear that they're not backing away from a controversial study that criticizes the healthcare reform law and said the White House should quit raising questions about the findings. The consulting firm McKinsey & Co. released a survey last week that says roughly 30 percent of employers will quit offering health benefits because of new mandates under healthcare reform. The White House dismissed the study as an outlier, and it has come under fire from the left in large part because McKinsey has refused to release its methodology (Baker, 6/13). 

CQ HealthBeat: A New Face For DOJ In Health Care Lawsuits
The government's big gun on the health care lawsuits is departing. Neal Kumar Katyal, the principal deputy solicitor general, has given notice that he will be leaving the Justice Department at the end of the current Supreme Court term, which likely will be the end of this month, according to The Blog of Legal Times. In his position as acting solicitor general, Katyal has argued four of the cases challenging the overhaul law in front of appeals courts — two in Richmond, Va., one in Cincinnati and one in Atlanta. His presence at the appeals level was a sign of the importance the Obama administration places on its defense of the law (Norman, 6/13).