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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UnitedHealth Group acquires Genoa Healthcare for $2.5B

UnitedHealth Group, the U.S.’s largest health insurer, bought pharmacy company Genoa Healthcare for $2.5 billion, Bloomberg reports.

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The case for state-level dense breast laws: Increased awareness, patient-physician conversation

State-level breast density reporting laws are associated with increased breast density awareness and increased likelihood of conversations between women and their providers regarding supplemental screening, according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

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SNMMI supports radiopharmaceutical pass-through legislation

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is urging the U.S. Congress to pass H.R. 6948, which would keep the pass-through status for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals under Medicare reimbursement.

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HHS Sec. Azar slams Medicare for All

Despite growing support for a Medicare for All system among Democrats, HHS Secretary Alex Azar blasted such an idea during a speech in Tennessee this week, The Hill reported.

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GAO report: HHS didn’t violate laws by lobbying against ACA

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not violate certain legal provisions when it reduced public outreach to alert people to healthcare enrollment periods and put out social media posts that blasted Obamacare, according to the Government Accountability Office.

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Medicaid expansion pays off the most for rural states

Small towns and rural areas saw the biggest benefits of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, according to a recent report.

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Readmission penalties reduced for safety-net hospitals

Hundreds of hospitals will see penalties on patient readmissions ease up after Congress instructed Medicare to change its policy, NPR reported.

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Indian radiologists battle with Ayurvedic doctors over use of sonography

If the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) amends the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Technique (PCPNDT) Act of 1994, Ayurvedic doctors could have the ability to utilize sonography on their patients, provoking anger from radiologists in India.