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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have finalized a rule expanding the ability for practitioners to prescribe certain controlled substances for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment through telemedicine, including audio-only calls. Under these new rules, practitioners can prescribe a six-month supply of these medications after reviewing the patient's prescription drug monitoring program data, with the possibility of extending prescriptions through telemedicine or after a face-to-face evaluation. Additional safeguards include identity verification by pharmacists before filling prescriptions to prevent misuse. The rule aims to continue the telemedicine flexibilities introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic while addressing the opioid crisis and concerns about substance misuse.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has finalized a rule that changes Regulation V of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to protect medical information in credit decisions. Previously, there was an exception allowing creditors to use medical debt information when deciding if someone qualifies for credit. With this new rule, creditors cannot use this information unless specific exceptions apply, and consumer reporting agencies are limited in what medical debt information they can share with creditors. This change aims to safeguard consumers' privacy and ensure medical information isn't wrongly used. The rule will become effective on March 17, 2024.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a final rule that requires its regulations to be reviewed periodically, with most regulations set to expire automatically every ten years unless reviewed. This is intended to ensure that regulations stay up-to-date and relevant. The final rule also includes processes for public comments and specifies the criteria for reviews, which include assessing whether the regulations significantly impact small entities, and if they are still necessary or need amendments. Certain regulations, such as those mandated by federal law and the annual Medicare payment update rules, are exempt from these reviews.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed new rules to revise health insurance standards under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. These changes focus on improving the integrity of insurance marketplaces, especially concerning eligibility and enrollment systems. Key revisions include stricter policies on past-due premium payments and a proposal to exclude Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from health coverage through marketplaces. Additionally, the proposal aims to strengthen oversight on agents and brokers to prevent improper enrollments, which are believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars in recent years.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has issued a request for information (RFI) to explore the impact of ageism in healthcare. The agency seeks public input on how age-related stereotypes and biases affect health care quality and access. AHRQ is interested in learning about innovative strategies to address these challenges, with responses informing future research and policies to improve healthcare for older adults. The public can submit their comments until March 15, 2025, but the agency will not respond individually to submissions.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed new rules to improve the Small Business Subcontracting Program. These changes aim to ensure small business subcontractors get paid faster and make it easier to report subcontracting activities. Prime contractors would need to inform contracting officers if they fail to pay subcontractors on time and work with them to fix such issues. The new rules also involve simplifying subcontracting reporting, clarifying how to assign size classifications to subcontractors, and expanding the authority of who can sign Subcontracting Summary Reports (SSRs).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is updating its civil penalties to adjust for inflation, as required by law. These changes increase the maximum fines for violations of various acts, such as the Clayton Act and the FTC Act, and will take effect on January 17, 2025. The adjustments follow a cost-of-living formula and apply to fines assessed after the effective date. These updates fulfill an annual requirement under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015.

The final rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury Department provides new guidelines for implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). It includes plans for reducing user fees for issuers using federal platforms in 2022 and introduces a new direct enrollment option allowing states more flexibility in how they facilitate health insurance plans through private entities. Additionally, the rule seeks to ensure that State Innovation Waivers can be more predictable by codifying policies into regulations, offering states more room for innovation while ensuring the availability of affordable health coverage. The rule clarifies that plans without provider networks are exempt from network adequacy certification while maintaining their other requirements.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced new adjustments to civil penalty amounts within its jurisdiction to account for inflation as mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015. These changes, effective from January 13, 2021, affect various penalty amounts, including those related to premerger filing notifications, unfair or deceptive acts, and labeling violations. The adjustments are based on a cost-of-living adjustment formula that compares the Consumer Price Index from two preceding Octobers. This ensures penalties are updated annually to maintain their deterrent effect and to reflect economic changes.

The document is a proclamation by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. declaring November 24 through November 30, 2024, as National Family Week. In this proclamation, he emphasizes the importance of family and highlights several efforts his administration has made to support American families. These efforts include economic recovery programs, investments in infrastructure, healthcare cost reductions, and legislative actions to protect marriage and reduce gun violence. The President invites Americans to celebrate this week with activities and ceremonies honoring the nation's families.