Recent Blog Posts
Some physicians, nurses have concerns about receiving coronavirus vaccines that were developed, authorized so quickly
In a front-page article, the Washington Post (11/21) reported physicians and nurses “are expected to get top priority to receive vaccines that could become available as soon as next month,” but it’s unclear “how many will seize their place at the front of the line.” In response, “large health systems, medical societies and the… Read More »
Trump Administration finalizes requirement for insurers to disclose actual prices to consumers
The AP (10/29, Alonso-Zaldivar) reported the Trump Administration “finalized a requirement for insurers to tell consumers up front the actual prices for common tests and procedures.” The AP added that “a related Trump Administration price disclosure requirement applying to hospitals is facing a federal lawsuit from the industry, alleging coercion and interference with business practices.” The Hill (10/29, Weixel,… Read More »
Nursing Home Neglect – Department Fails to Investigate
A month after firing the state’s top nursing home regulator without explanation and disciplining another, the Illinois Department of Public Health acknowledged Friday that the agency did not investigate complaints of neglect and abuse for nearly 3½ months during the coronavirus pandemic. Chicago Tribune
Nursing homes represent more than 1 in 4 COVID-19 deaths
AP (June 18, 2020): Nursing home residents account for nearly 1 in 10 of all the coronavirus cases in the United States and more than a quarter of the deaths, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data released Thursday. As federal data collection becomes more robust, a clearer picture is emerging of… Read More »
Nursing Homes Toss Out Patients
Many of the evictions, known as involuntary discharges, appear to violate federal rules that require nursing homes to place residents in safe locations and to provide them with at least 30 days’ notice before forcing them to leave. While the popular conception of nursing homes is of places where elderly people live, much of… Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court: Declines Gun-Rights Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, June 15th, declined to take up a spate of gun-rights challenges. The Washington Post reports that the court declined nearly a dozen challenges against various gun restrictions, including a law in New Jersey requiring gun permit applicants to show a “justifiable need” before carrying a gun in public…. Read More »
Federal DC Circuit Court Rejects Requiring Drug Prices in TV Ads
Federal DC Circuit Court rejects requiring drug prices in TV Ads Reuters reports that on Tuesday, June 16th, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit “upheld a ruling that struck down a Trump administration rule that required pharmaceutical companies to include the wholesale prices of their drugs in television advertisements.”… Read More »
Its All In The Game – Health Care Prices
How can a simple coronavirus test cost $100 in one lab and 2,200 percent more in another? It comes back to a fundamental fact about the American health care system: The government does not regulate health care prices. This tends to have two major outcomes that health policy experts have seen before, and are… Read More »
Can Employees Refuse to Return to Work Because of COVID-19?
The National Law Review (May 27, 2020): Parts of the country have begun the process of returning to work, in places where COVID-19 infection rates have flattened or shown a decline. But the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 remains, and some employers may be faced with parts of their workforces refusing to return… Read More »
Civic Education Has Fallen By The Wayside
In his 2019 year-end report on the federal judiciary, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said that “civic education has fallen by the wayside,” and added, “In our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, the public’s need to understand our government, and the protections… Read More »