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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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.

MIPS metrics hurt general radiologists, favor large practices and subspecialties

Current Medicare performance metrics favor radiologists in large practices and those in subspecialties, which may hurt general radiologists and impact patient care.

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ACA medical device tax carries price tag of $665M

The study in the latest edition of Research Policy, looking at the 2.3 percent excise tax imposed on medical devices in 2013, found it significantly reduced research and development investment, sales revenue, gross margins and earnings since ACA implementation in 2013.

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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.