Advocacy Articles
Updates about legislative and regulatory issues impacting the field of sleep medicine
On Feb. 12 President Donald Trump released his budget for fiscal year 2019, which largely serves to outline his agenda for the coming year. If enacted the budget would amount to $4.4 trillion in federal spending. While important in defining a policy agenda, particularly [...]
On Feb. 8 the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a new research brief suggesting that drowsy driving is involved in up to 9.5% of car crashes, which is much higher than official statistics published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The [...]
On Feb. 2 the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that severe, untreated sleep apnea led to two high-profile train crashes in New Jersey and New York in September 2016 and January 2017. Both train wrecks took place on commuter trains operated by obese [...]
On Jan. 31 Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald resigned from her position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as reports revealed that she had purchased stock in tobacco companies just one month after assuming her position at the agency in July 2017. According [...]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma recently indicated that CMS will form an interagency group to evaluate physician concerns about the Stark Law, according to reports by multiple outlets including Modern Healthcare and Fierce Healthcare. Verma stated that CMS, the [...]
On Jan. 24, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar, was confirmed by a 55-43 vote in the U.S. Senate. Azar is an HHS veteran who served during the George W. Bush administration. His [...]
On Jan. 18 the American Medical Association (AMA) released a Consensus Statement on Improving the Prior Authorization Process, together with the American Hospital Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, American Pharmacists Association, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and the Medical Group Management Association. Based [...]
On Jan. 11 the Trump White House released guidelines for a "community engagement initiative" that will allow states the opportunity to mandate work requirements for patients on Medicaid. In a letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Brian Neale, CMS Deputy [...]
On Jan. 8 the American Medical Association (AMA) released the report, "The National Economic Impact of Physicians," which highlights the positive effects that physicians have on state and federal economies, job growth, and wage increases. The report is the latest installment in the ongoing [...]
On Dec. 20, Senate Republicans advanced the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), a bill that will cut taxes for the large majority of American individuals while also cutting corporate tax rates significantly from 35% to 21%. In passing this legislation, they join [...]