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.

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.
Walmart workers sue over tobacco fees levied for health plan trust
The class action lawsuit argues employees cannot escape the fees even after they stop using tobacco, a violation of labor regulations.
HHS awards $75M for addiction and maternal health services in rural areas
The funds will be used to expand services and improve the financial stability of existing healthcare organizations located in underserved regions of the South.

Trump’s HHS budget cuts 16 percent across agency, including NIH, ONC

The full fiscal year 2018 budget proposal for HHS would include deep cuts to Medicaid, while making immediate cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and almost all HHS agencies. 

May 23, 2017

$400 billion California single-payer system offers providers 'little incentive' to control costs

The proposed single-payer healthcare system being debated in California would come with a $400 billion annual price tag—more than double the state’s annual budget—according to a review released by the California Senate Appropriations Committee.

May 23, 2017

90-day delay in ACA subsidy lawsuit adds to uncertainty for insurers

The Trump administration has asked for a 90-day delay on a ruling which could end Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to insurers, pushing back a potentially market-destabilizing move but offering little assurance to actuaries working on 2018 rate requests for the ACA exchanges.

May 22, 2017

Trump budget to include $800 billion in Medicaid cuts

The first full fiscal year budget from President Donald Trump is expected May 23 and will bank on more than $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid funding as included in the American Health Care Act (AHCA).

May 22, 2017

Trump favoring cutting off ACA subsidies to insurers

President Donald Trump is reportedly leaning towards ending cost-sharing reduction subsidies, or CSRs, to insurers offering coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges, which could quickly destabilize the marketplace.

May 19, 2017

Why the House may have to vote on the AHCA again

Two weeks after the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed an Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement plan, the bill hasn’t been sent to the Senate because potential procedural problems may force the House to amend the legislation and then vote on it again.

May 19, 2017

CMS could boost ACA enrollment by letting consumers skip Healthcare.gov

Customers on the Affordable Care Act exchanges will be allowed to enroll directly on sites run by third-party brokers and insurers, rather than be redirected to Healthcare.gov, raising concerns from some group about privacy and choice for those shoppers.

May 18, 2017

New York Assembly passes single-payer bill for third straight year

The New York Assembly passed a plan to create a single-payer healthcare system in the state, as it had in 2015 and 2016, but it’s likely to die in the state’s senate, where Republicans control the majority.

May 17, 2017

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.