In This Section
Public Invited to Comment on Reducing Burden of Federal Regulations Governing Health Care Industry
January 18, 2006
Action to Reduce Regulatory Burden
Introduction:
FY 2005 Appropriations Committee Report 108-636 requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (HHS/ASPE), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to examine major Federal regulations governing the health care industry. Of particular interest is quantifying the economic impact of Federal regulations on the health care industry. The goal of the HHS/OMB initiative is to identify immediate steps and longer term proposals for reducing regulatory burden and improving the translation of biomedical research into medical practice, while maintaining the highest quality health care and other patient protections. For additional information on the initiative, see http://aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml.
A series of Town Hall Meetings is being held in cities across the country to provide an opportunity for public comment on the economic impact of Federal health care regulations. Meeting dates are November 3, 2005 (Washington, DC); December 8, 2005 (Chicago, IL); January 12, 2006 (Oklahoma City, OK); and February 2, 2006 (San Francisco, CA). Interested individuals and stakeholder groups may also submit written comments to HHS via the Internet.
Findings from the Town Hall Meetings and other public comments, case studies, and a literature review will be included in a report to Congress.
Public Comment:
Two ways to provide your comments:
- Attend a Town Hall Meeting. Interested individuals or representatives of stakeholder organizations (e.g., health care administrators, institutional providers, physicians, practitioners, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and patients) may attend a Town Hall Meeting and present comments. Individuals attending the public meetings who wish to submit documentation to support their comments may send supporting documents and spreadsheets through February 9, 2006, to TownHallMeetingsDocuments@hhs.gov. For additional information about the remaining Town Hall Meetings, see http://aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml.
- Provide comments online. Comments may be submitted through February 9, 2006, at TownHallMeetingsDocuments@hhs.gov.
Comments should include:
- Contact information of the individual or organization submitting comments
- Background information on the regulation(s) at issue
- Original justification of the regulation
- Description of the regulatory burden
- Recommended reform
- Detailed quantification of the economic burden of the regulation, including supporting data.