Noneconomic damages in certain medical malpractice lawsuits would be capped at $250,000 under a bill passed through the House with only Republican support on June 28.

The Senate will not vote on the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act before the July 4 recess. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, informed his Republican colleagues at a June 27 lunch, according to multiple news outlets.

Some 22 million more people would be uninsured by 2026, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs would sharply rise while premiums would be lower and certain markets could be unstable if the Senate’s version of an Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace plan becomes law, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Four days after they first released it publicly, Senate Republicans have made a change to their version on Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace legislation, adding a “continuous coverage” provision to try and discourage people from canceling their insurance plans.

Whether Republicans’ version of an Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace bill looks like the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA) or the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), it would have a negative impact on the credit ratings of nonprofit hospitals, according to Fitch Ratings.

Providers and payors want to work together on transitioning to value-based care. What gets in the way is poor communication and time wasted on redundant administrative tasks, according to a Availity survey released at the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) conference in Orlando.

Reaction to the Senate’s version of an Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace plan, titled the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) ranged from strong opposition from physician and hospital groups to outrage from Democrats, while one insurance organization saw some positives in the legislation.

Groups representing physicians, hospitals, internists and health IT were quick to praise the proposed rule for the second year of the new payment tracks under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). The American Medical Group Association, however, has a decidedly different take.