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. 

Arkansas governor uses veto to save Medicaid program

Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas vetoed part of a Medicaid budget bill that that would have ended the subsidized insurance for more than 250,000 people, saving the first-in-the-nation hybrid Medicaid expansion.

Oklahoma legislation would strip licenses of doctors who perform abortions

State legislators have passed a bill which would define performing an abortion as “unprofessional conduct” by a physician.

NIH Clinical Center needs reforms to emphasize patient safety over research, panel says

Safety standards and oversight need to be overhauled, according to an agency-appointed task force.

JAMA seeking gun violence studies

The American Medical Association’s internal medicine journal is asking for papers on gun violence and firearm injuries.

Audiologists facing stiffer competition from consumer electronics on hearing aids

People affected by hearing loss are increasingly turning to devices found at electronics stores, rather than going through an audiologist.  

Demographics of patients shift as Federally Qualified Health Centers expand

In a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, it was found that the demographics of patients seen at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) from 2005 and 2014 have shifted to where the population of young, low-income, uninsured or Medicaid-insured, racial and ethnic minority Americans increased more rapidly than other demographic groups.

VA accused of shredding documents needed to process healthcare claims for waiting veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been regularly shredding thousands of documents related to veterans' claims, possibly including those needed to treat and fulfill benefits for veterans, according to an investigation by the inspector general. 

Could the Next Gen ACO model from CMS be the best available?

The Next Generation ACO model from the CMS Innovation Center has attracted increased interest among provider organizations, mostly because its deal terms are thought to be the best in the market.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.