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. 

Period-tracking apps leave women vulnerable to data mining

Technology has seeped into nearly aspect of life, including health, which means millions of women use apps to track their menstrual cycles just as they use them to track train schedules. 

Louisiana shows pent-up demand for health coverage

The overwhelming response to Louisiana’s expanded Medicaid program is an illustration of how many people have been waiting a chance to get health insurance, especially in states where politicians have resisted the Affordable Care Act, writes Noam Levey of the Los Angeles Times.

CDC: Average American is 15 pounds heavier than 20 years ago

A new data analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Americans’ average weight in 2014 had increased for both men and women compared to 1994, while average height remained the same, a sign of the increase in obesity among the entire population.

NIH Zika vaccine starts human trials among news of US transmissions

Just days after the news surfaced that Zika is being transmitted in the continental U.S., the National Institutes of Health announced the start of a phase I human trial for one Zika vaccine. 

Survey asks seriously ill patients: ‘What’s worse than death?’

Bowel and bladder incontinence was described as equal to or worse than death by a majority of seriously ill patients participating in a survey published in JAMA.

2 more ACA co-ops sue over risk adjustment while judge orders Evergreen to pay up

HHS is now facing lawsuits from three health insurance co-ops set up under the Affordable Care Act, but the organization won a small victory when a federal judge ordered an insurer to make a $24 million risk adjustment payment.

14 regions to be included in CPC+

CMS has announced 14 regions where practices can now apply to participate in the new Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model.

Could Sanders' universal healthcare dreams come true in one state?

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ schedule has just opened up, now that he’s no longer campaigning to be the Democratic nominee for president. Some Colorado activists say they know the perfect way he can spend his extra time. 

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.