In the past decade or so it has become increasingly common for working class Americans to move from job to job. This is a function of larger changes in the economy that governmental policy has tried to work around. The Affordable Care Act, for example, offers health care options for people in this very situation. For people who are bouncing between … [Read more...]
Cutting Medicaid Could Hollow Out Addiction Treatment Programs
Ever since OxyContin hit the market in 1996, the opioid epidemic has caused extreme turmoil. In 2015, 33,000 people died as a result of opioid-related overdoses. And of the 20.5 million people suffering from substance abuse in that year, 2 million were addicted to opioid pain relievers. The crisis didn’t emerge out of a vacuum. In the late 1990s, … [Read more...]
Leaked HHS Rule Could Majorly Reduce Coverage of Contraception
The Trump administration is moving ever closer to its goal of unraveling Obamacare’s contraceptive requirements. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most employers (except certain religious and non-profit organizations) must cover birth control for their employees. But thanks to a (leaked) proposal from the Health and Human Services (HHS), the … [Read more...]
Two House Bills Could Relax Regulations on E-Cigarettes
At the end of April, a bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives that, if implemented, would weaken the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulatory authority over e-cigarettes. The bill – or “The Cigarette Smoking Reduction and Electronic Vapor Alternatives Act of 2017” (HR 2194) – would overturn the Obama-era regulation known as … [Read more...]
What’s Next for Health Care?
After the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed in the house Thursday, many are wondering what the future holds for health care in the US. Will Congressional Republicans come together in their effort to fully repeal Obamacare? If the GOP fails to pass the AHCA, will Congress devise a bipartisan plan to introduce legislation along Republican lines … [Read more...]
Government Agency to Delay Improvements for Elderly-Disabled, Again
CMS Might Delay the Implementation of CoPs for HHAs The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule on April 3rd that, if enacted, would push back the implementation date of the new home health Conditions of Participation (CoPs) to January 13th, 2018. That’s six months after the originally intended date of July 13th, … [Read more...]
The Tug of War Over Reproductive Rights
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt recently blocked an Indiana state law requiring women to get an ultrasound 18 hours before getting an abortion. The judge found the measure to be overly burdensome for low income women. Judge Pratt’s ruling, which was issued on Friday March 31st, came after a lawsuit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of Planned … [Read more...]
OIG Will Review Administration’s Decision to Halt ACA Advertisements
Following a request from Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Pat Murray (D-Wash), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) will investigate the Administration’s decision to halt paid outreach advertisements and to suspend other related efforts aimed at informing the public of Marketplace enrollment in … [Read more...]
Pence’s Tie-Breaking Vote Leads to Nullification of Obama-era Rule
Mike Pence cast a tie breaking vote on March 29th, rescinding an Obama-era regulation pertaining to the funding of healthcare providers that offer abortion services. With a vote of 51 to 50 in favor of nullifying the rule, the bill will now go to President Trump who is expected to sign it. A tie breaking vote was necessary after Senators Lisa … [Read more...]
Trump’s Budget Proposes Slashing NIH Funding by 20 Percent
Donald Trump’s recent “skinny budget” includes a devastating cut to the National Institute of Health (NIH) budget, amounting to $6 billion, which is 20 percent of the entire $31 billion budget. According to the Forbes, “This is colossally short-sighted, stupid and even cruel.” It’s “stupid” when you consider the fact that the NIH budget is only … [Read more...]
