Health reform implementation

The CBO refused to provide a new estimate, but said scrapping the law's taxes and spending cuts would outweigh the reforms' costs.

The federal Health department announced a new initiative to bring down healthcare costs and improve care delivery through $1 billion in grants and evaluations.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the second round of Healthcare Innovation Awards will target new areas for improvement, including care for special needs populations.

The awards are also meant to reduce costs for Medicare and Medicaid patients in outpatient hospital settings, test new care and financial models for specific provider groups, and ensure care delivery accounts for preventive and population health. 

House Republicans have "truly lost their minds," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday.

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Three congressional committees are investigating the fundraising pitches HHS secretary has made on behalf of an outside group promoting ObamaCare.

Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee raised questions Tuesday about Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's push to raise money for a group promoting the Affordable Care Act.

Sebelius has asked healthcare stakeholders to contribute to Enroll America, a non-profit group formed to promote the healthcare law and encourage people to sign up for its new coverage options.

Finance Committee Republicans criticized Sebelius for seeking funds from insurance companies that will soon submit bids to sell their policies through the federally run insurance exchange.

Unpopular taxes and mandates in President Obama's healthcare law will be weaker than expected, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Tuesday.

The CBO said fewer people will be affected by the law's individual mandate, and fewer businesses will have to pay penalties for not offering health benefits to their employees.

Those mandates are among the most politically unpopular elements of the healthcare law. But if the penalties affect fewer people, they'll also bring in less revenue to help the government pay for the health law's coverage expansion.

“We're concerned about the implementation,” Hoyer said Tuesday during a press briefing in the Capitol.

Sen. Dean Heller is crafting legislation to prevent the IRS from hiring new employees to implement the healthcare law.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) doubled down Tuesday on his comparison that fundraising calls made by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are akin to the Iran-Contra scandal.

"This is arguably an even bigger issue," Alexander told The Washington Post. "It’s the same kind of offense to the Constitution. It’s the same kind of thumbing your nose at Article 1."

News broke last week that Sebelius solicited donations from the healthcare industry for efforts to boost enrollment in ObamaCare's new coverage options. The move has garnered criticism from Republicans, who say Sebelius may have violated federal law.