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.

Catholic hospital sued for refusing to perform emergency abortion on a hemorrhaging patient
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing Providence St. Joseph Hospital to discourage an incident like this from happening in the future.
Newsom vetoes bill to regulate private equity transactions in healthcare
Assembly Bill 3129 would have given the California Attorney General oversight of all private equity investments or purchases involving a healthcare entity. Gov. Gavin Newsom argued that a similar regulatory framework is already in place.
FDA announces recall of Pfizer's fast-tracked sickle cell drug
The drugmaker is voluntarily withdrawing Oxbryta from the market due to a higher-than-acceptable risk of death.
Public health coalition wins lawsuit against EPA for lack of fluoride oversight
A federal judge in California ruled existing evidence of the negative effects of fluoride in drinking water warrants an investigation and potential action from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cardiology groups cheer new bill that would improve access to Medicare claims data
If passed, this bill would help clinician-led clinical registries explore Medicare data for research purposes. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology both shared public support for the bipartisan legislation.

Amedisys to become third-largest hospice provider after $340M acquisition

One of the nation’s largest home healthcare providers, Amedisys, is set to become the third-largest hospice care provider after announcing plans to acquire Compassionate Care Hospice for $340 million.

October 11, 2018

Democrats fail to overturn expansion of short-term health plans

Republicans in the Senate on Wednesday overcame an attempt from Democrats to overturn the recent expansion of short-term healthcare insurance plans by the Trump administration.

October 11, 2018

AMA says CVS-Aetna deal conditions aren’t good enough

In the wake of the Department of Justice clearing the path for CVS Health to merge with Aetna in a $69 billion deal, the American Medical Association still doesn’t think the conditions mandated by the Justice Department go far enough to quell anticompetition fears.

October 10, 2018

Male nurses make more than female counterparts

Women dominate the nursing space, with a female-to-male ratio of five to one, but female nurses make less on average than their male counterparts, according to a recent survey from Medscape.

October 10, 2018

MA enrollment expected to exceed 22 million in 2019

An influx of new Medicare Advantage health plans will expand insurance options by 20 percent for seniors this year—a move that’s expected to drive record numbers of enrollees, Forbes reported this week.

October 10, 2018

Trump op-ed slams Democrats for support of Medicare for all

President Donald Trump penned a rare op-ed in USA Today to bash Democrats over their support of a single-payer healthcare system that has come to be known as Medicare for all.

October 10, 2018

Venture capital has sunk $23B into healthcare

The U.S. venture capital space is primed for another record-setting year of investment, with billions of dollars flowing into the healthcare industry. As of September 30, VC firms pumped $23.4 billion into healthcare, according to Pitchbook’s quarterly report.

October 10, 2018

CVS-Aetna deal gets DOJ’s preliminary approval

CVS Health and Aetna have received a preliminary go-ahead from the Department of Justice to complete their $69 billion merger.

October 10, 2018

Around the web

Cardiovascular Business

Cardiology groups cheer new bill that would improve access to Medicare claims data

If passed, this bill would help clinician-led clinical registries explore Medicare data for research purposes. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology both shared public support for the bipartisan legislation.

Cardiovascular Business

Watchdog group, fearful of fraud, wants more oversight for remote patient monitoring

Cardiologists and other physicians may soon need to provide much more information when ordering remote patient monitoring for Medicare patients.

Cardiovascular Business

Most recalled cardiovascular devices gained FDA approval with little to no clinical evidence

Why are so many cardiovascular devices involved in Class I recalls? One possible reason could be the large number of devices hitting the market without undergoing much premarket clinical testing.