Senate tax bill would effectively repeal ACA individual mandate; House legislation to reverse 340B Drug Discount Program cuts; CMS addresses prescription drug costs and the opioid crisis

By on November 20, 2017 Posted in News from DC

On November 14, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) released the Chairman’s Mark to the Senate version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Hatch’s version of the tax plan effectively repeals the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate by reducing the associated penalty to $0. The ACA individual mandate requires individuals to buy … Continue reading

U.S. House of Representatives passes the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act of 2017

By Elise LeGros (US) on November 16, 2017 Posted in Regulatory

On November 8, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 2123, the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support (“VETS”) Act of 2017. Under current regulations, VA health care providers in good standing may practice in another state if the provider is located in a facility owned by the Federal Government; however, this does not … Continue reading

Texas Medical Board proposes new telemedicine regulations

By Elise LeGros (US) on October 17, 2017 Posted in Regulatory

The Texas Medical Board (“TMB”) recently proposed new telemedicine regulations (the “Proposed Regulations”). Such regulations are necessary to revise current regulations of the TMB in light of Senate Bill 1107 (“SB 1107”), which recently passed the Texas Legislature. I. Prescriptions for Medications SB 1107 required that the TMB, the Texas Board of Nursing, the Texas … Continue reading