Policy and Legislation

Legislators on Thursday were split on the Affordable Care Act's effect on provider and payer competition in the healthcare marketplace in the the first of several hearings to be held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law.

The fate of many other health programs, from the National Institutes of Health to efforts to reduce teen pregnancy, hang in the balance as well, as lawmakers decide whether and how to fund the government after the current fiscal year expires Sept. 30.

The long-awaited rules from the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services further define protections included in the Affordable Care Act, particularly broadening those for transgender Americans.

The Marketplace Navigator grants only apply to groups in the 34 states that run federal exchanges.

The President's Commission on White House Fellowships has announced the appointment of the 2015-2016 class of White House Fellows, and seven among them work in the healthcare sector.

Member enrollment also falls below projections, despite the jump in insured population nationwide.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services on Wednesday said it would delay enforcement of the controversial two-midnight rule until the beginning of 2016, a change from the September 30 extension laid out in the sustainable growth rate replacement legislation passed by Congress in July.

It's actually a much easier promise to make than to fulfill, but that's not slowing down the Republican candidates for president.

Since the fines began, national readmission rates have dropped, but roughly one of every five Medicare patients sent to the hospital ends up returning within a month.

While hospitals in Maryland have not brought down the state's total costs of care, the all-payer system seems promising enough to state and federal leaders under universal healthcare coverage.