AHA supports HHS proposal to withdraw rule on retrospective regulatory review

The AHA today voiced strong support for the Department of Health and Human Services’ proposal to withdraw a rule finalized last year that requires the agency to periodically assess each regulation and determine whether to retain, modify or eliminate it. If the department fails to conduct the review, the regulation would expire. The association said it continues to have substantial concerns that the policy puts at risk numerous regulations that, if they expired as a result of the departments’ inability to conduct a review in a timely manner, could harm HHS programs’ beneficiaries. In addition, the process for review did not provide an adequate mechanism for obtaining public input on the substance of regulations being reviewed.