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. 

Judge rejects quarantine for Maine nurse

 A judge has ruled that Kaci Hickox, a Maine nurse who had treated Ebola patients, does not have to be fully quarantined, reports The Washington Post.  

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DeSalvo will maintain leadership role at ONC

It appears Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, is not leaving the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT after all—despite an earlier announcement.

Feds open HIX portal for small businesses

The federal government has opened a new health insurance portal for small businesses in five states—Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Ohio—after a one-year delay for small-employer health plans, according to The Wall Street Journal.

LA Times Editorial Board weighs in on ACA

There is no easy way to put a lid on healthcare costs, according to a piece by the Los Angeles Times editorial board.

CDC issues new Ebola guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidelines pertaining to health workers entering the U.S. from Ebola-affected countries, according to Time.

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Health economist shares his struggles with selecting a health plan

Think figuring out a health plan is hard? In a New York Times editorial, health economist Austin Frakt admitted: “I cannot rationally select a health plan.”

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Will HealthCare.com, a private endeavor, mislead consumers?

 If consumers type HealthCare.com instead of HealthCare.gov into their browsers, they will end up not at a government site but the web address of an enterprising company, reports The Washington Post. 

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N.J., N.Y. implement new Ebola restrictions

New Jersey and New York have announced new restrictions that require physicians and other healthcare workers returning from treating Ebola in Africa to take a mandatory 21-day quarantine, reports NBC News. 

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.