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. 

HHS proposes 3-month limit on short-term plans to strengthen ACA risk pool

A proposed rule from HHS would limit short-term individual health plans to three months without a chance to renew in an effort to keep healthier enrollees from leaving the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces and limit the upward trend of exchange premiums.

House passes bill adjusting Medicare hospital policies despite $50M estimated cost

Legislation changing several Medicare policies most affecting hospitals, including exempting “mid-build” off-campus outpatient facilities from the site neutral payment provisions in last year’s budget, has advanced out of the House.

NIH to get $2B funding boost in spending bill

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would receive an additional $2 billion in funding under a Senate appropriations bill, according to The Hill.

CMS to phase in regional benchmarks for ACOs in shared savings program

A finalized rule for the Medicare Shared Savings Program released by CMS aims to offer stronger incentives for accountable care organizations (ACOs) by allowing an additional year in Track 1 participation and using regional spending data to adjust cost targets.

Zimmer Biomet to Acquire LDR to Enhance Innovation and Growth of Spine Business

WARSAW, Ind. and AUSTIN, Texas, June 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ZBH) (SIX:ZBH) (Zimmer Biomet or the Company), a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare, and LDR Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:LDRH) (LDR), a global medical device company focused on designing and commercializing novel and proprietary surgical technologies for the treatment of patients suffering from spine disorders, today announced that both Boards of Directors have approved a definitive agreement under which Zimmer Biomet will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of LDR for $37.00 per share in cash, which implies a transaction value of approximately $1.0 billion.  The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2016.

State news: 5,000 nurses may strike in Minn., managed care owed $571M in Ill.

Here’s a roundup of healthcare news from Minnesota, Illinois, California, Florida and Alaska.

Obama against privatizing the VA

Privatizing the Veterans Administration healthcare system “would be a mistake,” President Barack Obama said in an interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Q&A: UCLA professor says ACA exits more politics than death spiral

With large insurers like UnitedHealthcare and Humana announcing their departure from the health insurance marketplaces and some remaining insurers proposing bigger-than-expected increases in premiums, some health experts are predicting the Affordable Care Act is sending the industry into a so-called death spiral. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Director Gerald Kominski, PhD, would argue otherwise.

Around the web

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. 

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

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. 

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