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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House Dem leader: ‘Medicare-for-all’ should be ‘evaluated’ if party takes House

Nancy Pelosi didn’t endorse any single-payer proposals as other Democrats have in the Senate, though she did reiterate her support for a government-run insurance option.

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DOJ argues parts of ACA unconstitutional after mandate eliminated

Attorney General Sessions doesn’t go as far as arguing the entire law would be invalid, but the provisions he deemed “inseverable” from the mandate include some of the ACA’s key protections, like not allowing insurers to charge more or deny coverage based on a consumer’s pre-existing conditions.

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UnitedHealth’s Optum involved in $2.2B physician staffing acquisition

The rapid expansion of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum division into patient care has continued, with Moody’s Investors Service identifying it as one of the acquiring firms of a physician staffing firm in Tacoma, Washington.

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HHS could be renamed under Trump reorganization plan

A rumored White House Office of Management and Budget plan would move more of the federal government’s safety net programs, like food stamps, into HHS.

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Medicare’s hospital insurance fund will face shortfall by 2026

The latest report from Medicare trustees accelerated the timeline for the program’s hospital insurance fund being depleted to 2026—three years earlier than their previous report projected.

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ED visits in California jump 9.9% after implementation of ACA

Proponents of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) argued—and continue to argue—that it will reduce frequent use of the emergency department (ED) by the same people with expanded coverage, especially for those most likely to make repeated visits to the ED.

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Maine ordered by judge to expand Medicaid

Fifty-nine percent of Maine voters approved a ballot referendum last year to expand Medicaid eligibility in the state. After Republican Gov. Paul LePage repeatedly refused to implement it, a judge ruled Monday LePage's administration has to obey voters’ wishes and submit its expansion plan to CMS.

Rural community decides if it should trust outside investor with bankrupt hospital

Kaiser Health News reports on one facility—a 26-bed hospital in Surprise Valley, California—that is $4 million in debt—and in desperate need of outside help. The community may have found reason for hope, in the form of a 34-year-old former bodybuilder named Beau Gertz. He’s proposing a plan to use telemedicine to help boost revenue.

Around the web

The FTC alleges that pharmacy benefit managers have set up a system where they get rich, while patients are forced to pay rising insulin costs. The agency also called out drug manufacturers such as Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk, saying their own actions have raised serious concerns.

In the post-COVID era, wages for permanent RNs are rising, and wages for travelers are decreasing. A new report tracked these trends and more. 

Two medical device companies have announced a transaction that could shake up the U.S. electrophysiology market. 

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