The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s
Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, USPS and the Census will be holding an
FEHBP oversight hearing on April 11 at 10 am in Room 2154 of the Rayburn
Building.  The hearing will focus on the administration of and potential
improvements to the program, including the types of plans and benefits
available to enrollees, categories of enrollment, and premiums.  The
hearing also will consider the relationship among Medicare, the Affordable Care
Act, and the FEHBP. The FEHBlog will be there with bells on. 


The President today signed the continuing resolution funding the federal government through the end of the current federal fiscal year on September 30, 2013, with the federal employee pay freeze and the sequester still in place according to govexec.com  On a related note, the AMA News compares the healthcare provisions in the budget resolutions that the House and Senate passed before going on recess this week. 


Also Modern Healthcare reminds us that today is the effective date for the 563 page long omnibus HITECH Act rule modifying the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.  Govinfo Security reports on the importance of encrypting protected health information.  The compliance date for this rule is six months from now. There is a lot to do, particularly in terms of educating business associate subcontractors about the new legal requirements on them.