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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Cigna-Express Scripts deal has already cost $201M

The $67 billion mega-merger between Cigna and Express Scripts has already cost a staggering $201 million, Axios reported, according to an estimate from Cigna relating to transaction costs incurred in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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Nurse practitioners face barriers to helping areas underserved by PCPs

Nurse practitioners in California are prepared to help fill shortages of primary care physicians in underserved areas around the state—but several barriers challenge this practice, according to a recent survey published in Health Affairs.

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Cigna-Express Scripts deal gathering support in DOJ antitrust process

Cigna’s $67 billion acquisition of Express Scripts is looking good after 14 of the 29 states necessary to approve the deal have cleared it.

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Phlebotomist, EMT among 6 most popular healthcare jobs for millennials

Millennials make up the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, so it should come as no surprise that healthcare jobs are among the most popular roles for this cohort.

CMS adds flexibility to Medicare Part D drug plans

Starting in 2020, Medicare Part D drug plans will have more power to tailor which drugs can be used for different indications.

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GOP may renew fight over ACA repeal following McCain’s death

Congressional Republicans are reportedly thinking about taking another swing at overturning the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after the death of Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, The Hill reported.

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Could the DOJ be an obstacle to CVS-Aetna merger?

A New York Assemblyman has urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to block the $69 billion planned merger between CVS Health and Aetna.

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GAO: Trump administration stifled ACA enrollment

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report last week that claimed actions by the Trump administration negatively impacted enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace during the 2017 sign-up period.

Around the web

CMS finalized a significant policy change when it increased the Medicare payments hospitals receive for performing CCTA exams. What, exactly, does the update mean for cardiologists, billing specialists and other hospital employees?

Stryker, a global medtech company based out of Michigan, has kicked off 2025 with a bit of excitement. The company says Inari’s peripheral vascular portfolio is highly complementary to its own neurovascular portfolio.

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses declining reimbursement rates, recruiting challenges and the role of artificial intelligence in transforming the industry.