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CMS Signals Review of IRA Drug Price Negotiation Program
The Trump administration signaled Medicare drug price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed in 2022 by former President Joe Biden may undergo a reexamination to add greater transparency and possibly other reforms. A 125-word news release on January 29, 2025, stated that lowering drug prices is a “top priority” for President Trump, who…
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Company Offers Supplemental Health Insurance for Direct Primary Care
Atlas Direct, is offering supplemental insurance for people who use direct primary care and those looking for a limited alternative coverage to pricey Obamacare plans. Atlas Direct launched on December 3 and is now available in 13 states: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.…
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California Nurse Practitioners Fight Practice Restrictions
The California Board of Registered Nursing is construing a five-year-old state licensing law for nurse practitioners (NPs) in a way that violates the law’s original intent, say attorneys for NPs challenging the law. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 890 in 2020 to encourage more people to become nurse practitioners, by protecting opportunities for…
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Texas Medical Board Director Resigns After Conflict-of-Interest Surfaces
The medical director of the Texas Medical Board (TMB) resigned after proceedings against a Texas doctor revealed he also worked for Planned Parenthood of South Texas. Robert Bredt, M.D., a pathologist, had been employed by the TMB since 2012, while also working part-time since 2011 as medical director of the Planned Parenthood laboratory in San…
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Texas Medical Board ‘Conflict’ Goes Deeper, Legislator Says
The departure of Robert Bredt, M.D. as medical director did not resolve the issues with the Texas Medical Board (TMB), state Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) told Health Care News. “We are a pro-life state, and it is unbelievable that an executive branch agency hired a Planned Parenthood official to help regulate Texas doctors and the…
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Trump Opponents Get Ready to Pounce on Medicaid Cuts
With the Trump administration aiming for large cuts to the federal budget to eliminate waste, the federal portion of the Medicaid program is shaping up as a primary budgetary battleground. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), chair of the House Budget Committee, has circulated a proposal for mandatory spending cuts to various programs, including Medicaid. Senate Democrats…
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Australian Doctors Pledge to Oppose Future Pandemic Crackdowns
Health care professionals from Australia across the globe are expanding grassroots efforts to end censorship in the practice of medicine. In Australia, freedom-seeking physicians and health care professionals formed the Cape Byron Lighthouse Declaration in response to what they characterize as tyrannical measures in the name of disease control, such as those implemented during the…
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Software Tool Helps Parents, Patients Navigate Immunization Maze
A software developer has enhanced an online platform to help parents make more personalized decisions about vaccines for their children. Software designer Chris Downey introduced VaxCalc in November 2023, and this February he incorporated AI into the service with a tool he calls VaxBot. VaxCalc promises to “simplify vaccine decisions with tools you can trust,”…
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Ohio Becomes First State to Require Hospitals to Publish Prices
Ohio hospitals must now comply fully with the federal price transparency rule that went into effect on January 1, 2021, but was only loosely followed by the nation’s hospitals and not strongly enforced. Gov. Mike DeWine signed H.B. 49 on January 3, legislation passed unanimously by both chambers on December 18, 2024 and supported by…
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Trump Blocks Gender Treatments for Children
President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) on January 28 blocking gender treatment for children in the United States. The order, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” defunds government research and grants involving “chemical and surgical mutilation of children,” authorizes action against Medicare or Medicaid providers who participate in such treatments, stops the…
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