Juvan's Health Law Recap--March 25, 2007--Taxes, FDA Advisory Committees and JCAHO Report
Here's a review of some of the stories that captured the headlines last week:
- Money, Money, Money! The Joint Commission on Taxation has reported that President Bush's proposal to create a standard tax deduction of either $15,000 for families or $7,500 for health insurance and categorize funds used for health insurance as taxable income would increase taxes paid by nearly $334 billion dollars in ten years. Responding to the findings, Pete Stark stated that the conclusions "provide ample reason to doubt the plan's effectiveness and raise concerns about its cost." See also the CBO's Analysis of the Proposal.
- FDA to Toughen Advisory Committee Membership Requirements. Again taking a defensive posture, the FDA announced last week that it will implement a more stringent protocol to screen advisory committee participants to root out financial conflicts of interest. Speaking of the new approach, Randall Lutter, the acting deputy commissioner for policy at the FDA, stated, "FDA is committed to making the advisory committee process more rigorous and transparent so that the public has confidence in the integrity of the recommendations made by its advisory committees . . . . Today's draft guidance document should provide more consistency in the consideration of who is eligible to participate in advisory committee meetings and would simplify the process." See also the Draft Guidance; the FDA's Comment Submission Page; the FDA's Page on Advisory Committees; and Mark Senak's Review of the Requirements.
- Joint Commission. The Joint Commission has released a report entitled Improving America's Hospitals: A Report on Quality and Safety. Make sure to check it out!
