Policy & Regulations

This channel includes news coverage of healthcare policy and regulations set by Congress, the states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and medical associations and societies. 

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Open Payments website gets improvements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a beta release of an online search tool to help users better navigate its Open Payments website, which went live with data on physicians' corporate relationships on Sept. 30, reports The Wall Street Journal.

October 20, 2014

Obama taps Ron Klain to serve as 'Ebola czar'

President Obama has brought in Ron Klain, a crisis-response operative and former chief of staff to two vice presidents, to handle the government’s response to Ebola, reports The New York Times.

October 17, 2014

Calming fears that ACA would overburden the healthcare industry

With 10 million individuals in the U.S. now on insurance rolls thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many worried that the already overburdened industry would burst at the seams. A UCLA study appears to put some of those concerns to rest, reports California Healthline.

October 16, 2014

CDC to offer more Ebola training to healthcare industry

In response to news that a nurse has contracted Ebola, a spokesperson from the Centers or Disease Control and Prevention announced that the agency would issue more specific instructions and explanations on the use of protective gear, reports The New York Times.

October 14, 2014
California health IT illustration

Calif. HIX awards $184M in no-bid contracts

California’s health insurance exchange, Covered California, has awarded $184 million in contracts without the competitive bidding and oversight that is typical for state government, reports Fox News.

October 13, 2014
U.S. Congress

Editorial: Americans ill-informed about ACA thanks to Democrats, Republicans

The mass confusion surrounding the Affordable Care Act—which includes rules forbidding insurance companies from denying coverage and promotes free preventative care, among many other provisions—is the fault of both Democrats and Republicans, according to The Hill.

October 13, 2014
Massachusetts

Massachusetts is first state to require price transparency

On Oct. 1, Massachusetts became the first state to require insurers to post real-time prices of procedures and visits, reports WBUR.

October 8, 2014

New version of HealthCare.gov goes live

Federal officials have released a new version of HealthCare.gov, which features a streamlined application process for those signing up for the first time, reports ABC News.

October 8, 2014

Around the web

This week Washington took a major step toward nailing down a solid game plan on federal AI spending for everything outside of defense.

The recall includes specific lots of five different medical devices used to treat stroke and other neurovascular diseases.

The agency is urging healthcare providers to transition away from these devices and seek out alternatives. It is even working with other manufacturers to try and get similar products on the market as quickly as possible. 

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