Health reform fix-it bill becomes law
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
President Obama signs the final piece of health reform legislation March 30. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act includes a number of fixes to the Senate-written health reform bill that the president signed on March 23, including a 2.3% excise tax on devices that begins in 2013 (1"The Gray Sheet" March 29, 2010). The law, which aims to provide health insurance to an additional 32 million people, also establishes a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to conduct comparative effectiveness research, reduces advanced imaging services payments, and requires device firms to track and report payments to physicians