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. 

States fight back against short-term health plans

State regulators are resisting urges by HHS to push short-term health plans after the Trump administration expanded their availability, The Hill reported.

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Bloomberg: CVS-Aetna deal close to clearing antitrust process

CVS Health’s takeover of health insurance giant is likely close to clearing the antitrust process with the Department of Justice, Bloomberg reported last week.

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Healthcare spending up 5.2% in June 2018 from previous year

National health spending rose 5.2 percent to $3.66 trillion in June 2018 from the previous year, according to a new insights report from Alarum.

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Hospitals, insurers refine cost estimator tools to avoid sticker shock

George Hahn of Philadelphia had two echocardiograms conducted at the same hospital a year apart, using the same insurance—the only difference was one cost $3,000 more than the other. Hahn’s plight is similar to many other Americans—and hospitals are acting, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Study: Immigrants are net contributors to Medicare, have lower expenditures than US-born population

With immigration certainly a central issue in the 2018 mid-term elections, a new study could fuel debates about the dollars and cents of policy proposals. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Tufts University found that immigrants’ healthcare costs were significantly lower than those of individuals born in the United States.

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Citing competition, rebate concerns, AMA urges block of CVS-Aetna deal

The American Medical Association (AMA) has urged the U.S. Department of Justice to block the planned $69 billion merger between CVS Health and Aetna.

Insurer monopolies lead to higher health insurance premiums

Healthcare premiums have been rising rapidly over the past two years, but not all markets are seeing the same rates of inflation. Areas with fewer insurers are reporting higher premiums than other markets, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs.

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CMS proposes risk adjustment payments for 2018

After halting, then restarting, payments for the healthcare insurance risk-adjustment program, CMS has proposed keeping the payments for the 2018 benefits rule.

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.