legislators news from FierceHealthcare
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Oregon legislator still fighting for end-of-life benefit despite controversy
Death panels. The name suggests a scene from the grim totalitarian vision put forth in 1984, or perhaps the plot from Logan's Run, where people agree freely to be killed by a certain date to maintain... Read more...
Legislators, policy experts push for comparative effectiveness research
Some legislators and policy experts are pushing for a major change to how we examine the effectiveness of drugs. Currently all drugs are tested against placebos, assuring that they are "better than... Read more...
Lawmakers largely oppose PA Blues merger
Pennsylvania commissioner Joel Ario gets to make the final decision on the proposed merger between Independence Blue Cross and Highmark Inc.--but the state's lawmakers are not shying away from giving... Read more...
Federal spending bill could limit physician hospital ownership
A group of Republican Congress members are raising objections to language in a war supplemental spending bill that they say would harm physician-owned hospitals. Sens. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn... Read more...
Pharma gift disclosure law wins Eli Lilly support
While its peers appear to be firmly opposed to such rules, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has decided to support federal legislation that would require drugmakers to disclose payments to doctors.... Read more...
Study: Self-referral fuels growth in imaging scans
A new study suggests that the outcome feared by both legislators and payers--a growth in services ordered--is coming to pass when physicians invest in imaging centers and equipment. The study,... Read more...
RI reviews med equipment CON process
Apparently concerned that something is lacking in how the process works, a group of Rhode Island lawmakers have set up a commission to study whether state health officials are managing the CON... Read more...
Hospital says IA House speaker used position for retaliation
An Iowa hospital is accusing state House Speaker Pat Murphy of using his position to punish it after a labor dispute involving his wife. The facility, Dubuque-based Finley Hospital, notes that the... Read more...
Farm bill would restrict MD-owned specialty hospitals
In a piece of gamesmanship worthy of Capitol Hill, legislators behind a pending agriculture bill have slipped in a provision that would ban physician ownership of specialty hospitals. Versions of... Read more...
