-
Senate Considers Ending More-Expensive Hospital Rates Under Medicare
The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would mandate “site-neutral” reimbursement in Medicare, eliminating the rule that pays hospitals more for services that can often be provided at a lower cost elsewhere. The Congressional Budget Office estimates implementing site-neutral payments for hospital outpatient departments could save taxpayers roughly $157 billion over 10 years. Over that…
-
New Iowa Law Reins in Pharmacy Benefit Managers
A new law in Iowa requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reimburse pharmacies based on average state or national drug prices instead of negotiated rates and stops PBMs from favoring a specific pharmacy to fill a prescription. Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa signed the bill on June 11, saying it was necessary to improve accountability…
-
CVS Faces Lawsuits for Using Patient Database to Evade PBM Law
Pharmacy giant CVS is facing several lawsuits over allegedly sending text messages to customers in its prescription database to stop the state of Louisiana from enacting a law that would have threatened the company’s pharmacy benefit management (PBM) business. House Bill 358 would have banned ownership of a pharmacy and a PBM by the same…
-
HHS Cracks Down on Removing Organs from Patients Declared Brain Dead
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced a move to tighten oversight of the practice of removing vital organs from neurologically impaired patients. In a July 21 news release, Kennedy announced a “major initiative” toward reforming the organ transplant system. “Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs…
-
AMA Rejects Doctor-Assisted Suicide Despite More State Approvals
With several states having approved physician-assisted suicide, the American Medical Association (AMA) staked out a firm position opposing the practice. Reaffirming its long-held position at the annual meeting of its House of Delegates, which took place from June 6 to 11 in Chicago, the AMA “overwhelmingly rejected” a proposed change in policy, according to the…
-
Medicaid Cuts Would Cause Thousands of Deaths, Study Claims
While the U.S. Senate was debating the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine projected cuts to Medicaid could lead to 16,642 premature deaths. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the City University of New York based their projections on an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office…
-
Mental Health Counseling Student Exposes Sexualized Course Content
A graduate student in marriage and family therapy at Santa Clara University is facing difficulty graduating after she requested an alternative class assignment requiring a “comprehensive sexual autobiography” that would be uploaded online and graded. “What began as a simple accommodation request in a required course called Human Sexuality turned into a case study in…
-
New Rule Curtails Improper ACA Enrollment to Keep Costs Down
In keeping with its pledge to rein in the soaring cost of health care in the United States, the Trump administration issued a new rule to clamp down on improper enrollment in Obamacare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued “The 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Final Rule” on June 20. The rule will…
-
Investigation Heats Up After Biden Revealed Late Stage Prostate Cancer
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has expanded its investigation of the cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s health, prostate cancer, and mental decline. On June 4, Chairman James Comer subpoenaed five former senior White House aides to appear for transcribed interviews in addition to Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, M.D. In May, Biden…
-
Trump Administration Pressures Insurers to Streamline Prior Authorization
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has secured a pledge from insurers to streamline the companies’ practice of requiring prior authorizations before covering a claim. “Americans shouldn’t have to negotiate with their insurer to get the care they need,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a June 23, 2025, news release. “Pitting patients…
Latest Issue – September 2025
2025 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug
2024 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov
2023 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
2022 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov
2021 Archived Editions: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov
2020 Archived Editions: Jan, Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
For back issues and articles published before January 2020, click here.
