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. 

Senate setting up Zika conference

The Senate will be voting on an agreement to begin talks with the House on a long-disputed Zika funding package, reports the Hill.

House advances bills on health crisis readiness, sports medicine liability

Two pieces of legislation dealing with public health issues were passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee June 8.

Med school injects health policy into curriculum

George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences is integrating the usual clinical medical school studies with the policy issues affecting care and the healthcare system.

Feds crack down on Medicare ambulance fraud

Teams of federal officials have been fighting ambulance fraud where one fraudulent ambulance operator would shut down only to have another, sometimes headed by a friend or family member, replace it, reports JEMS.

Physicians would have to report medical device problems under new bill

A new bill in Congress aimed at changing the Food and Drug Administration’s medical device approval process would require physicians and their practices to report defects or issues with devices, while protecting doctors from being sued over those reports.

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.

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.