Policy and Legislation

A bill introduced in the House of Representatives proposes to set minimum education and certification standards for technical personnel providing, planning and delivering medical imaging exams and radiation therapy treatments in the Medicare program.

Vermont is moving closer to starting a state-run health plan that would be able to insure nearly all of its residents.

The California Assembly has passed AB 52, a bill that would give the California Insurance Commissioner the power to reject or change health insurance rate increases that are deemed excessive.

The Bipartisan Policy Center's Health Project has launched a Task Force on Delivery System Reform and Health IT. The Task Force, co-chaired by former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist, now co-leaders of the Health Project, includes 24 health system experts and leaders.

Hundreds of disgruntled registered nurses from 31 states, including more than 150 from Massachusetts, plan to rally in Washington D.C. next week, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

St. Peter's Health Partners is the new name of an upstate New York health system to be created when the merger of Northeast Health, St. Peter's Health Care Services and Seton Health is completed later this summer.

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is looking at ways to move beyond the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, the current method of paying Medicare physicians.

Republicans have had an easy time criticizing the Barack Obama Administration's healthcare overhaul plan, but when it comes to creating their own, the way has been politically treacherous.

Republicans and Democrats have locked horns over the fiscal year 2012 budget and the federal deficit, with the fate of entitlement programs hanging in the balance.

"Reform" of the U.S. healthcare system can mean a myriad of things, all of which have been discussed and debated ad nauseum over the past two years - before, during and after passage of the Affordable Care Act.