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. 

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Cost of cancer deaths tops $94B annually

The economic cost of the of lost earnings due to cancer deaths in the U.S. was more than $94 billion in 2015, according to a new study published in JAMA Oncology.

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Medicare for all could mean a big payment cut

While general support for a universal healthcare system remains at about 50% among the public, the impact to the healthcare industry is being weighed––and providers could see huge payment cuts under certain policies. 

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Doctors aren’t using tools to keep drug costs down

Patients are worried about the rising cost of prescription drugs, and the high rate of cost growth has led lawmakers and the Trump administration to review steps to reduce runaway price growth. However, there are some ways for doctors to help patients avoid sticker shock on their prescriptions––and not many are using these tools, according to a report from NPR.

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States want to weigh in on $69B CVS-Aetna merger

Five states have voiced they want to testify at an upcoming July hearing in the ongoing court review of the $69 billion CVS Health acquisition of Aetna.

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Air ambulances charge astronomical prices

Emergency services are well known for charging high prices, often leaving patients on the hook for sky-high medical bills when those services are billed out of network. In particular, patients with private insurance face far higher charges for air ambulance compared to Medicare rates, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs.

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Drug prices are soaring in 2019

Despite a major push from the Trump administration over the last few years to lower prescription drug costs, more than 3,400 drugs have seen price hikes during the first half of the year, according to a recent report.

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ProPublica report prompts hospital to examine practice of suing for unpaid bills

Waves of criticism against Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, a nonprofit hospital based in Memphis, Tennessee, have prompted the institution to examine its aggressive debt collection practices of suing low-income patients for unpaid medical debts, as detailed by a recent ProPublica and MLK50 report.

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Seniors shell out way more for generic prescriptions over brands

Generic prescription drugs may not be the cost-saving alternative once thought under the current design of the Medicare Part D program, which gives away such heavy discounts for out-of-pocket costs for brand-name drugs that seniors are actually shelling out way more for generics, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

Around the web

Compensation for heart specialists continues to climb. What does this say about cardiology as a whole? Could private equity's rising influence bring about change? We spoke to MedAxiom CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, a veteran cardiologist himself, to learn more.

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”