Policy and Legislation

Now that Herman Cain sits atop at least some GOP presidential polls, I decided to have a quick peek to see what he has to say about health care and how it fits into his catchy sounding 9-9-9 plan. I may well be missing something but at first glance I don’t see how his policies mesh.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made official on Friday what many had expected: it is dropping its efforts to implement the CLASS Act.

The advocacy group Health Care for America Now has had a loud voice in the healthcare reform debate over the past three years. The company started a Tumblr blog titled "We are the 99 percent," where followers submit photos of themselves holding a sheet of paper, with a message as to why they choose to occupy Wall Street. The site states: "We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution." The list goes on.

So far, the Republican frontrunners have not engaged in a credible debate about health care. Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann have nothing to say on the topic of any consequence. Trying to pin Romney down as the father of ObamaCare doesn’t really count as a bold policy.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded $3.4 million to programs in 19 states working to improve the system of services for children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN).

Having cost the Republican Party a Congressional seat earlier this year with his plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program, House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan is back with an even more sweeping health care proposal.

Alternative benefit models rely on cost-sharing approaches for seniors, while some MedPAC members urged benefits that encourage changing unhealthy behaviors.

I smiled when I read that some physicians were taking the case for medical malpractice reform to the congressional super committee that is charged with cutting the federal deficit.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have launched a parallel review pilot program that allows medical devices to be reviewed for approval by the FDA and CMS at the same time.

In light of the record drug shortages currently plaguing U.S. healthcare, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) is calling for a Federal Trade Commission investigation into gray market drug resellers' exorbitant price mark-ups as possible price gouging.