Government: Page 21
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Deep Dive
States curb CON laws to boost bed capacity
The COVID-19 pandemic and population growth have led many states to scale back or eliminate Certificate of Need laws, which require providers to get regulatory approval before expanding or adding healthcare facilities.
By Michael Brady • Jan. 3, 2025 -
VA to resume Oracle EHR deployments in mid-2026
More than a year after the agency largely put new deployments on hold, the Department of Veterans Affairs will soon begin work to roll out the medical record to four facilities in Michigan.
By Emily Olsen • Jan. 2, 2025 -
Biden signs funding bill extending telehealth flexibilities, but no relief for doctors — or PBM reform
Physician groups slammed Congress for allowing a 2.8% cut to their Medicare pay to go into effect.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 23, 2024 -
Opinion
7 bold policies to reshape rural healthcare
The CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians argues for policies to incentivize growth in the rural primary care workforce.
By R. Shawn Martin • Dec. 20, 2024 -
Telehealth groups call for urgent action as Medicare flexibility deadline looms
A sweeping funding bill that would have preserved the pandemic-era policies for two years was derailed by President-elect Donald Trump, less than two weeks before the flexibilities are set to expire.
By Emily Olsen • Dec. 19, 2024 -
ASTP finalizes information blocking exception for reproductive health
The policy allows providers, health IT developers or data exchanges to restrict information sharing when there’s risk it could expose patients or clinicians to legal fallout.
By Emily Olsen • Dec. 19, 2024 -
Stopgap funding bill includes sweeping PBM reform, preserves telehealth flexibilities
The bipartisan agreement will fund the government through March. It could also reshape the pharmacy supply chain by reforming how controversial drug middlemen do business.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 18, 2024 -
Q&A
Former HHS Secretary Tom Price’s vision for the second Trump administration
President-elect Trump will likely resuscitate policies from his first term like Medicaid work requirements, Price said. The former HHS secretary also shared leadership advice for RFK Jr.: Appreciate the expertise of HHS staff.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 17, 2024 -
Sanofi sues HHS to defend 340B rebate policy
The drugmaker is following in the footsteps of Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly in filing suit to force through controversial reforms to the drug discount program, against the wishes of federal regulators.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 17, 2024 -
Centene lobbies Trump administration to preserve Medicaid, ACA following ‘tragic’ year
The insurer warned Republicans about the political ramifications of cutting healthcare programs during its investor day, which began with a moment of silence for slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 13, 2024 -
MedPAC supports add-on payments for low-income Medicare patient care
Commissioners on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission also largely supported recommendations to increase pay for physicians and other health professionals slightly less than inflation in 2026.
By Emily Olsen • Dec. 13, 2024 -
‘Research that’s desperately needed’: White House conference spotlights women’s health
“Sometimes the most under-hyped sectors are the best places to build very large businesses,” said one venture investor who attended last week’s event.
By Delilah Alvarado • Dec. 12, 2024 -
Democrats question Oz over Medicare Advantage advocacy, UnitedHealth stock
Lawmakers argued Mehmet Oz, who was nominated to oversee the CMS, has pushed to expand MA while owning stock in the largest MA plan provider, UnitedHealth.
By Emily Olsen • Dec. 12, 2024 -
ASTP finalizes pared down HTI-2 interoperability rule
The final rule focuses on regulating information sharing networks and doesn't include standards that could have sped up prior authorizations. Regulators suggested those could come in the future.
By Emily Olsen • Dec. 12, 2024 -
Consumers who delayed choosing health insurance cite concerns with Trump administration: survey
About half of Americans say they’re worried about how the incoming administration could impact their health insurance, while 22% of people who put off choosing a plan cited the presidential turnover directly.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 11, 2024 -
New bipartisan legislation would force insurers, PBMs to sell pharmacy businesses
The PBM Act would make companies like CVS and UnitedHealth that own health insurers or PBMs sell pharmacy assets. That would help independent pharmacies, but may not help patients, according to one expert.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 11, 2024 -
FTC warns 21 healthcare marketers against deceptive claims
The warnings come less than a week after the fatal shooting of a UnitedHealthcare CEO unleashed expressions of anger on social media about health insurer practices.
By Maura Webber Sadovi • Dec. 10, 2024 -
Premiums could rise, millions could lose coverage if enhanced ACA subsidies expire: CBO
The number of uninsured Americans will increase by 3.8 million on average each year from 2026 to 2034 if the subsidies lapse, according to an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office.
By Emily Olsen • Dec. 10, 2024 -
FDA issues final guidance on postmarket updates to AI-enabled devices
By using pre-determined change control plans, manufacturers can update AI-enabled devices without filing an additional FDA submission.
By Elise Reuter • Dec. 4, 2024 -
CMS recalculates Medicare Advantage stars for UnitedHealth, Centene
After both insurers challenged the agency in court, the CMS improved scores for 12 UnitedHealth contracts and seven Centene contracts.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Dec. 4, 2024 -
8 experts on leveraging AI in healthcare
Healthcare organizations must carefully vet AI tools, address patient concerns and keep an eye on standards and regulation, according to industry experts who spoke at a Healthcare Dive virtual event.
By Sydney Halleman • Dec. 3, 2024 -
CMS proposes new guardrails on Medicare Advantage prior authorizations, marketing
The Biden administration is attempting to push through a slew of reforms to the controversial MA program in its final months in power, though it will need the Trump administration’s buy-in to get them across the finish line.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 27, 2024 -
Indiana health system withdraws merger application after regulator pushback
Union Health said it would submit a new Certificate of Public Advantage application to try to acquire Terre Haute Regional Hospital.
By Emily Olsen • Nov. 27, 2024 -
HIPAA audits not effective at improving cybersecurity: OIG
The HHS’ Office for Civil Rights’ audit program was too narrow in scope to effectively assess data protections and reduce cyber risks in the healthcare sector, according to the report.
By Emily Olsen • Nov. 26, 2024 -
Biden administration proposes Medicare, Medicaid coverage of pricey weight loss drugs
About 7.4 million Americans with obesity could have insurance coverage for drugs like Wegovy if the Trump administration allows the rule to go into effect — at the cost of $40 billion to federal and state governments.
By Rebecca Pifer Parduhn • Nov. 26, 2024