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HHS Secretary Azar Takes Heat At Budget Hearing

 
• By Sue Darcey

HHS Secretary Alex Azar was pressed on issues tied to the Affordable Care Act and the recently proposed FY 2020 budget at a March 12 congressional hearing.

Capitol House

Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, had to fend off several sharp questions from US House Energy and Commerce Committee members at a budget hearing March 12. Some queries came from Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., who asked about the department’s “sabotage of the Affordable Care Act by cuts to health care-safety-net Medicare and Medicaid programs.”

Also, Health Subcommittee Chair Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., asked why Azar had thrown his support behind so-called insurance “junk plans” promoted...

More from Legislation

More from Policy & Regulation

FDA Panel Supports Dermal Fillers For Décolletage Use

 
• By Elizabeth Orr

An FDA panel has endorsed the use of dermal fillers for décolletage, but warned of patient safety concerns. The filler can cause complications with future imaging and pregnancy or breastfeeding, panelists said. Regulatory measures and patient studies are recommended for better outcomes.

NAD Alerts Agendia Over Endorsing Physician’s Ties To Firm

 
• By Elizabeth Orr

The National Advertising Division (NAD) alerted Agendia to improve disclosure regarding a physician endorsing its MammaPrint test. The physician's ties to Agendia were inadequately revealed in LinkedIn posts.

FDA Ends Effort To Regulate LDTs By Rescinding Final Rule

 
• By Brian Bossetta

Just a year and four months after publishing a final rule that would have allowed it to regulate laboratory developed tests as medical devices, the US FDA has rescinded the controversial measure, finally putting an end to the saga.