Repealing Physician Compliance of Health and Human Services Mandates, as Established by the Affordable Care Act (S. 2278)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is S. 2278?
(Updated November 14, 2014)
This bill, commonly referred to as The SCOPE Act, deals with 23 words in the 2,700-page Affordable Care Act. The bill would repeal the ability of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), under the Affordable Care Act, to prohibit health insurers from working with doctors and other medical providers who fail to meet quality services standards designated by the Secretary. The Secretary’s ability to make such prohibitions is scheduled to take effect January 1st, 2015.
Argument in favor
Safeguards doctor-patient relationships and quality of care. Allows doctors to make case-by-case decisions. State-level medical entities should be able to function without interference from federal agencies.
Argument opposed
The Health and Human Services mandate is in place to assure bottom-line care and would not impact the doctor-patient relationship. Without federal oversight, state healthcare systems lack legitimate accountability.
Impact
The bill implicitly asks whether or not the federal government should be able to enforce nationwide healthcare mandates. If the bill is passed, nothing changes: doctors remain accountable to state-level entities such as insurers and state licensing boards, and follow state regulations. If the ACA provision does go into effect as it is scheduled to on January 1st, 2015, doctors and hospitals will have to comply. This could, and most likely would, mean policy changes for both private practices and hospitals.
Cost of S. 2278
A CBO cost estimate is not available.
Additional Info
Media:
The Latest
-
IT: Battles between students and police intensify, and... 💻 Should we regulate AI access to our private data?Welcome to Thursday, May 2nd, listeners... The battle between protesters and police intensifies on college campuses across the read more...
-
Should U.S. Implement Laws Protecting Private Data from AI Access?Artificial intelligence is rapidly integrating into our everyday lives, transforming the way we work, live, and interact with read more... Artificial Intelligence
-
Protests Grow Nationwide as Students Demand Divestment From IsraelUpdated May 1, 2024, 11:00 a.m. EST The battle between protesters and police has intensified on college campuses across the read more... Advocacy
-
IT: Rumors spread about ICC charging Israel with war crimes, and... Should states disqualify Trump?Welcome to Tuesday, April 30th, friends... Rumors spread that the International Criminal Court could issue arrest warrants for read more...