Over the past several weeks, Congressional Republicans have indicated they are gearing up to tackle various health policy issues – and have offered health stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback and their expertise in policy development. On August 25, Republicans on the House of Representatives’ Committee on the Budget established a “Health Care Task Force.” … Continue Reading
Unlike most other states, Ohio does not currently have a hospital licensure system. While Ohio hospitals are subject to registration and information reporting requirements, as well as licensure requirements for certain discrete hospital services, Ohio does not require hospitals to obtain a state license in order to operate. That may change if certain provisions in … Continue Reading
The cannabis industry was center stage during the November election, collecting a trove of wins making recreational marijuana legal now in 15 states and approved it for medical use virtually nationwide. The overwhelming nods in the recent election made marijuana more mainstream across the country and proved the cannabis industry has built a profound and … Continue Reading
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) recently announced plans to cosponsor S. 4191, the United States Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Review Act. According to bill text released by Senator Warren’s office, the bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, … Continue Reading
On Friday, March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted into law. The CARES Act provides broad relief to the many sectors of the economy reeling from the effects of COVID-19, including provisions aimed at giving critical financial and operational relief to hospitals and other providers on the front lines … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, October 24, President Trump signed the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) into law. The bill signing occurred three weeks following Congress’ overwhelming approval of the measure, and nearly one year since the Trump Administration deemed America’s opioid crisis a federal … Continue Reading
Nearly three months following House passage of a legislative proposal related to America’s opioid epidemic, the Senate overwhelmingly cleared its own comprehensive, bipartisan package to address the crisis. On Monday, September 17, senators replaced the House-passed text with a substitute amendment and approved The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (H.R. 6) by a vote … Continue Reading
On Thursday, May 17, the House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) cleared 32 additional opioid-related measures during its second markup on the issue. In total, E&C has now advanced 57 bills to combat the opioid overdose crisis. While most measures were easily approved on a bipartisan basis, committee members disagreed over a number of bills … Continue Reading
On Friday, May 11, 2018, President Trump vowed to fix “the injustice of high drug prices” by announcing the “Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices” (the Blueprint) to address the following challenges: Excessively high drug prices Seniors and government programs overpaying for drugs High out-of-pocket costs for consumers Lack of transparency in drug pricing Free-riding by … Continue Reading
On May 17, the Ohio Board of Nursing (the Board) adopted a new formulary which expands the prescriptive authority for certain of Ohio’s advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Specifically, this new “exclusionary” formulary applies to Ohio’s certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse midwives. The new formulary was adopted pursuant to Ohio’s House … Continue Reading
Health policy in the US is a problem in search of a solution and, despite a current pause in actions, reform efforts will continue this year. The Squire Patton Boggs policy team has put together an excellent article recapping recent events regarding the actions torepeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the decision … Continue Reading
The House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation that would repeal the taxes enacted to fund the Affordable Care Act, and defer for five years the “Cadillac tax” on expensive health insurance policies. It also approved eliminating the penalty tax for not having health insurance, adopting a new refundable credit to help Americans pay for … Continue Reading
On December 13, 2016, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act (the Act), into law. This sweeping healthcare law addresses the discovery, development and delivery of new drugs and medical treatments; it also includes substantial mental health reforms and assorted Medicare- and Medicaid-related provisions. The law is a product of the … Continue Reading
On November 1, CMS released final rules implementing Section 603 of the Bipartisan Balanced Budget Act of 2015 (the Final Rule). Section 603 effectively reduces Medicare compensation paid to certain off-campus hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) beginning January 1, 2017 by eliminating their eligibility for compensation under Medicare’s Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS). The Final … Continue Reading
Last legislative session, the Ohio General Assembly passed a measure in House Bill 52 requiring health care cost transparency for non-emergency services. The new measure requires that most medical service providers provide in writing, prior to a service being rendered, “a good-faith estimate” of (1) the amount the provider will charge the patient’s health … Continue Reading
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested comments on March 4 regarding definitions and possible regulations governing medical device refurbishers, reprocessors, and other third parties. Medical device manufacturers have the duty, under 21 C.F.R. Part 820, to provide instructions to third parties that may service or install their products. However, manufacturers may not be able … Continue Reading
The results of this year’s mid-term election, while historic, also raise considerable uncertainty regarding future legislative action. What legislative initiatives can we expect to see from the Republican controlled Congress? Will President Obama and Congress work together or will Republican control of both houses result in continued gridlock? What will happen to the ACA? To help answer … Continue Reading
