Legal & Regulatory Issues

House Republicans are considering refusing to increase the country's debt limit unless the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is delayed, according to a report from The Hill.

Florida officials voiced concerns this week about whether health insurance exchange navigators will get adequate background checks and training, according to a Health News Florida report.

In a letter to the FDA, the American Society of Anesthesiologists has addressed public health concerns associated with the use of equianalgesic opioid conversion tables and has recommended a staged approach for opioid conversion labeling.  

The Hospital Authority of Albany Dougherty County in Georgia and Albany, Ga.-based Phoebe Putney Health System have agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, resolving charges that the parties' acquisition of Palmyra Park Hospital harmed competition.

Washington hospitals that receive public funding and provide maternity services must also provide services or information about contraception and abortion, according to a legal opinion from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

The Department of Justice has announced Richard Obedian, MD, an orthopedic and spine surgeon based in Hicksville, N.Y., will pay $388,000 to the federal government to settle allegations he submitted false claims to Medicare in 2005.

Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Medical Center will pay the state $66,000 to resolve allegations it improperly sent bills for uninsured patients to a homeless shelter so it could then submit bills to a state program for payment, according to a…

Sen. Jim Marleau has introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate to impose licensure on anesthesiologist assistants, according to a Belleville View report.

Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., continues its fight to stay open, and yesterday, a New York State Supreme Court judge ordered that its former owners reclaim the struggling hospital, according to a New York Times report.

San Francisco has demanded Nevada reimburse local California governments for the care of about 500 patients given "Greyhound therapy," according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.