News
-
Trump Issues Executive Order to Protect, Improve Medicare
Opinion -President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at shoring up Medicare’s financial health and delivering better care to the nation’s seniors. -
Costs of Employer Health Plans Are Rising Faster Than Wages, Inflation
Opinion -Annual costs for employer-provided health plans are rising at a faster clip than wages and inflation, the 2019 Employer Health Benefits Survey by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation shows. -
Michigan’s CON Board Sidelines Promising Cancer Treatment
Opinion -The Michigan Certificate of Need (CON) Commission adopted rules restricting patient access to CAR-T cell therapy, a cutting-edge cancer treatment covered in part by Medicare and Medicaid. -
Medicare Coverage of CAR-T Cell Therapy Raises New Questions
Opinion -The Trump administration’s greenlighting of CAR-T cell cancer therapy for Medicare patients nationwide put an end to the patchwork of local determinations on the use of the innovative and expensive treatment. -
Despite Protests, States Limit Exemptions from Mandatory Vaccines
Opinion -Despite loud protests from the public, more states are limiting individual exemptions to mandatory child vaccination laws. -
Lawmakers Call for Federal Right to Try Expansion
Opinion -“The goal should not be maintaining an exceedingly expensive—in time and money—status quo, clinical trial process.” -
Direct Primary Care Offers Cost Savings, Privacy, Personalized Care
Opinion -Editor’s Note: Direct primary care (DPC) has proven to be a viable, quality-based solution to soaring health care costs, but government policies stand in the way of the growth of this option. -
Appeals Court Considers Obamacare Constitutionality
Opinion -A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is deciding the constitutionality of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) after hearing 90 minutes of arguments in a packed courtroom in New Orleans. -
Telehealth Popularity Among Doctors Increases Despite Government Obstacles
Opinion -The number of physicians using telemedicine has grown by 20 percent over the last three years, with 15 percent of physicians currently engaged in telehealth, reports a first-of-its-kind analysis of providers’ interest in telehealth. -
Surprise Billing Laws Could Worsen the Problem, Study Warns
Opinion -Legislative efforts to address surprise billing can put patients into an even deeper hole financially while limiting their choices of treatment providers, concludes a new study by The Heritage Foundation. -
Alaska Hit with Lawsuit over Steps to Address Runaway Medicaid Costs
Opinion -In an effort to transform its financially troubled Medicaid program, the state of Alaska has implemented “emergency regulations” to cut Medicaid reimbursement rates and is working -
Senate Bill Would Require Review of Drugs, Devices Approved in Other Countries
Opinion -Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has reintroduced a bill that would require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review within 30 days all drugs, biological products, or medical devices already authorized for use in trusted countries. -
RESULT Act Could Clear Way for Alzheimer’s Help, Family Hopes
Opinion -The FDA has not approved a new therapy for Alzheimer’s disease in 15 years, according to a June 20, 2018 report in Healio Family Medicine. -
Out-of-State Tennessee Medicaid Beneficiaries Discovered
Opinion -An audit by the Tennessee Office of Inspector General found 16 people living in Georgia received coverage under TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, and are now under investigation. -
Trump Executive Order Aims to Inject New Life into Kidney Treatment
Opinion -The Trump administration is rolling out new payment rules and incentives under an executive order to deliver better health care for kidney disease, a condition that afflicts 37 million people in the United States and has limited treatment options. -
CMS Offers States Help in Establishing Reinsurance Programs
Opinion -The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have rolled out new resources to help states navigate the process of obtaining State Relief and Empowerment Waivers, also known as Section 1332 waivers, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). -
HHS Finds Deficiencies in Hospice Care Under Medicare
Opinion -Hospice providers under Medicare commonly deliver poor service that endangers the health of those using the program, the Office of Inspector General in the U.S Department of Health and Human Services reports. -
Lawsuit May Explain Trump Administration’s Mixed Signals on Medicaid
Opinion -Whether the Trump administration has an appetite for approving a Medicaid block grant may depend on the outcome of a federal lawsuit on Obamacare -
New Michigan Rule Extends Licensure Mandate, Fees to More Midwives
Opinion -Certified professional midwives in Michigan are now subject to a state occupational licensure requirement. -
Federal Court Strikes Down Trump Rule on Drug Prices in TV Ads
Opinion -The Trump administration’s plans to promote transparency in drug pricing suffered a significant, if not entirely unexpected, -
Trump Administration Proposes Pilot Program to Import Foreign Prescription Drugs
Opinion -The Trump administration is working to permit the importation of less-expensive prescription drugs originally intended for foreign markets. -
CMS Denies Obamacare Funding for Partial Medicaid Expansion in Utah
Opinion -The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) turned down a first of its kind request to provide 90 percent funding for expanding Medicaid to able-bodied adults -
Right to Try Legislation Expands Patient Freedom in North Carolina
Opinion -A new law expanding patient access to medical treatments in North Carolina will go into effect on December 1, having received unanimous approval in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly and the July 1 signing by Governor Roy Cooper. -
Heartland Weekly: Climate Conference Speakers Defend Climate Realism
Opinion -Week of August 5, 2019
