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What We’re Reading: Spending Bill Freeze; Cannabidiol as a Dietary Supplement; COVID-19 Misinformation Punishment
Intraparty disagreements over mifepristone cause pause in spending bill agreement until August recess ends; Officials urge the FDA to regulate cannabidiol as a dietary supplement; State medical boards tasked with protecting Americans frequently failed to stop doctors for COVID-19 misinformation.
Republican Disagreements Halt Spending Bill
Intraparty friction over the abortion pill mifepristone have delayed a plan for House votes on Friday and led GOP heads to push legislation funding the FDA until August recess ends, reported The Hill. The spending bill would also fund the Department of Agriculture and contains a provision to constrict restrictions surrounding access to mifepristone, which would nullify the agency’s decision to permit the drug to be dispensed through mail and retail pharmacies.
Officials Urge FDA to Regulate Cannabidiol
Officials and hemp advocates pressed the FDA to quickly regulate cannabidiol (CBD) products as dietary supplements at a House subcommittee hearing Thursday, according to Bloomberg Law. CBD products can’t be sold or regulated as dietary supplements yet because of CBD’s intrinsic risk profile and currently incomplete risk-management resources. Customer safeguards in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act would apply to CBD products if they were regulated as dietary supplements, including adverse event reporting and possible child-proof packaging requirements.
Doctors Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation Rarely Punished
Doctors who endangered patients’ lives by pushing medical misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have not encountered sufficient repercussions, according to a Washington Post analysis of disciplinary records from medical boards in every state, reported The Washington Post. These medical boards, assigned with protecting the American public, frequently failed to stop doctors who went against medical consensus and prescribed treatments not approved for COVID-19 or who misled patients about masks and vaccines, found the investigation. Presently, no organization monitors how many doctors have been punished for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.
Bridging the Vaccination Gap: Insights on Global Immunization Challenges
July 30th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Jeffery A. Goad, PharmD, MPH, 2024-2025 president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, on the recent report from the World Health Organization and UNICEF on public immunization rates, with national and global health implications.
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Double Trouble: High-Deductible Plans Raise Maternity Care Costs Across 2 Calendar Years
June 27th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the author of a study published in the June 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about how annual high-deductible insurance plans increase maternity care costs when pregnancies cross 2 calendar years.
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Pressure on Congress to Reform Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, Prevent Reimbursement Cuts
October 17th 2024A new letter signed by more than 230 members of the House urges Congress to not only block the scheduled 2.8% reimbursement cut, but also reform the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
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