The Obama administration has urged health insurers to withhold payments when they think patients may be “shopping” among physicians to obtain prescription drugs, according to a report from The Hill. Though HHS normally requires Medicare drug plans to pay claims…
Legal & Regulatory Issues
In a 229-193 vote, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives rejected the Senate's two-month extension of a payroll tax break and unemployment benefits, leading many to believe a resolution will not reached until the new year, according to a USA…
Drugmaker Merck has agreed to pay $24 million to Massachusetts’ Medicaid program to resolve allegations that it overbilled for certain drugs, according to a Boston Globe report. The settlement brings an end to Massachusetts’ 2003 lawsuit against 13 drugmakers for…
Senate Federal Financial Management Subcommittee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.), Ranking Member Scott Brown (R-Mass.), and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) yesterday sent a letter to Peter Budetti, director of CMS' Center for Program Integrity calling for better metrics to assess the…
The Department of Justice filed a brief last week reaffirming its allegations that Daytona Beach, Fla.-based Halifax Health violated the Stark Act in agreements with three neurosurgeons and six medical oncologists, according to a Daytona Beach News-Journal report.
Advertisement
The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments regarding the legality of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law March 26-28, 2012, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The Justice Department has recovered more than $3 billion under the False Claims Act in the fiscal 2011 year, with $2.4 billion in recoveries involving fraud committed against federal healthcare programs. The DOJ recently released its total recovery figures for…
After the U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan, two-month extension of a payroll tax break and unemployment insurance bill in a special Saturday session, the Republican-led House of Representatives plans to reject the bill and propose an amended version, according to…
Cost-controlling initiatives under President Obama's landmark healthcare reform law may face greater risk of "running aground" as the country's deficit continues to grow, according to a Reuters report.
HHS has released a bulletin outlining proposed policies that would give states flexibility in defining their respective essential health benefits.