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.

HealthCare.gov attracts steady traffic on first live weekday

The first weekday of the sign-up season for HealthCare.gov attracted plenty of traffic, although some users did encounter a few minor bumps, reports ABC News.

November 18, 2014

Early praise for Healthcare.gov

Healthcare.gov opened for browsing over the weekend, and users are offering some early praise on the design improvements, reports Bloomberg Businessweek.  

November 13, 2014

Feds lower expectations for open enrollment period

The Department of Health & Human Services has lowered its prediction for the number of enrollees from 13 million to 9-9.9 million for coverage through state and federal exchanges for 2015, reports Modern Healthcare. 

November 11, 2014

Multi-year health insurance plans hold promise

Multi-year insurance products on health insurance exchanges could prompt insurers to invest in more services with long-term benefits. This in turn, would reduce healthcare costs and some of those savings could result in lower premiums for consumers, according to a Health Affairs blog written by a senior scientist and policy researcher at Rand Corp.

November 10, 2014

Supreme Court to hear new challenge to ACA

The Supreme Court has agreed to another challenge of the Affordable Care Act—and will determine how far the federal government can extend its program of subsidies to buyers of health insurance, according to SCOTUSblog, the official blog of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

November 7, 2014

Feds to require hospitalization coverage for large companies

The Obama administration is planning to close a loophole in the Affordable Care Act which allows larger companies to refuse to cover in-patient hospital stays in their insurance plans, an anonymous source told USA Today.

November 5, 2014

Re-election of Republican governors narrows possibilities of Medicaid expansion

The re-election of Republican governors in Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Maine and Kansas narrows prospects for Medicaid expansion in those states, according to Tampa Bay Times.

November 5, 2014

Obama admin to seek $6.2B in emergency Ebola funding

The Obama administration is set to ask Congress for about $6.2 billion in emergency funding to stem the spread of Ebola, reports Bloomberg.

November 5, 2014

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.