Health Care

In 2012, an HHS staffer named Emma Sandoe created the Twitter hashtag, #HealthPolicyValentines. It was a way for health policy geeks on Twitter to post clever Valentine’s wishes online. With a story appearing on Politico today, #HealthPolicyValentines Day immediately started trending on Twitter. Below you will find a few of my tweets and some other clever ones from today’s barrage.

Just as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began holding federal health care plans accountable for their provider network transparency obligations, the New Jersey legislature stalled in its bid to pass a law that would require hospitals and physicians to disclose whether they are in or out-of-network with a patient’s insurance plan before providing treatment. 

The Office of Management and Budget completed its review of the long-awaited final rule establishing a process for Medicare Part A and B providers and suppliers to report and return overpayments within 60 days (the “60-day rule”).  As a result, the final 60-day rule will likely be published soon.

Congress’s complex relationship with prescription drugs was on display today in the House of Representatives. In the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (OGR), Martin Shkreli pleaded the 5th at a hearing investigating drug pricing. 

Today, a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) have unveiled legislation that would expand the use of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring under Medicare.

It seems that everything in our life is getting connected to the Internet. We now live in an age where household items like refrigerators have Internet-connected LCD screens and privacy experts talk about the so-called "Internet of Things." Medical devices are increasingly becoming connected as well, and like any connected device, they are at risk of getting hacked.

To understand the policy challenge created by repeal of the non-interference clause, consider this simple example.  Acme Drug Company brings a drug to the market as a single source innovator. 

This week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a projection that shows Medicare enrollment will grow by more than 30 percent in the next decade alone, and the number of seniors will steadily grow from 55 million today to more than 80 million by 2036.

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) has issued its 2015 Cost Trends Report, based on the HPC’s annual health care cost growth hearings.

In keeping with the boom of telehealth legislation introduced last year at both the state and federal level, the Senate Finance Committee is considering several policy changes that, if ultimately enacted, could make telehealth the preferred method of care delivery for millions of Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic conditions.

Earlier today, my colleagues at ML Strategies published the Washington Outlook for 2016, offering their insights about what we might expect from Capitol Hill and the Administration in the coming year.

On Tuesday, our colleague, Patricia Moran, discussed the importance of employers using “wrap” documents for certain health and welfare plans on Mintz Levin’s Employment Matters Blog.

My colleagues Hope Foster, Larry Freedman, and Bridget Rohde, members of Mintz Levin’s Health Care Enforcement Defense group, recently published a report surveying health care enforcement trends and developments in 2015 and forecasting what these developments herald for 2016.

In college and graduate school, we all had professors that had “non-attribution/academic freedom” policies designed to foster open debate, critical thinking and robust discussion.

President Obama has announced plans to tighten gun control regulations, including applying the background check requirement to dealers at gun shows and on websites. Federal law already requires that those “engaged in the business” of selling guns must have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) and conduct background checks at the time of every purchase.

As we start a new year, let’s take a look back at a few hot topics that emerged in the managed care industry in 2015 and will likely be drivers of developments in 2016.

Recognizing the importance of telemedicine, a committee of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission recently voted on a grant program that will award up to $500,000 each for two telemedicine pilots that target the behavioral health needs of children, homebound seniors, and people with substance use disorders.