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Healthcare Regulatory Developments Newsletter

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Published March 31st, 2026
Detected March 31st, 2026
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Summary

JD Supra Healthcare newsletter summarizing March 2026 regulatory developments: FTC announces new healthcare task force for anticompetitive enforcement; bipartisan House bill proposes waiving $100,000 H-1B visa application fees for foreign healthcare professionals; HHS engages pharmaceutical companies on Most Favored Nation drug pricing legislation; PCMA seeks rollback of Labor Department PBM price transparency rule; and Supreme Court ruling pending on False Claims Act qui tam provisions.

What changed

This newsletter compiles five significant healthcare regulatory developments from March 2026. The FTC has created a new healthcare task force led by Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to coordinate agency-wide healthcare enforcement, identify intervention opportunities, and pursue anticompetitive behavior cases. Congress is considering legislation to waive the $100,000 H-1B visa fee for foreign doctors and nurses, a fee imposed by the Trump administration that hospitals say increases staffing costs. HHS Chief Counsel Chris Klomp announced the government is engaging drugmakers on Most Favored Nation pricing legislation to align U.S. prescription drug prices with other developed nations. The PCMA lobby group is urging the Labor Department to withdraw its proposed PBM transparency rule requiring disclosure of rebates and payments to employers and plan sponsors. Finally, a Supreme Court decision is expected in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates that could fundamentally alter False Claims Act qui tam whistleblower provisions affecting skilled nursing operations.

Healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies should monitor FTC enforcement priorities as the new task force identifies intervention targets. Organizations relying on foreign healthcare workers should track the H-1B fee waiver bill through Congress, which would affect July 1 residency program staffing cycles. Drug manufacturers should follow MFN pricing legislative developments as consensus-building proceeds. PBMs and plan sponsors should assess pending transparency requirements. Healthcare entities involved in government reimbursement should monitor the False Claims Act case as a potential constitutional challenge to qui tam provisions.

Source document (simplified)

March 31, 2026

Healthcare Authority Newsletter - March 2026 #4

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New Healthcare Task Force Created by Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission is forming a new healthcare task force as regulators double down on combating anticompetitive behavior in the sector. Commissioner Andrew Ferguson directed FTC staff to create a new group to lead healthcare enforcement, create agency-wide investigation strategies, better identify legal cases where regulators can get involved, and find new areas to crack down in the sector.

(Source: Healthcare Dive, 2026-03-23)

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Lawmakers Introduce Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act

A bipartisan bill introduced in the House would waive the $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas for foreign healthcare professionals seeking to work in the United States, among them doctors and nurses. The fee, imposed by the Trump administration last September, threatened to drive up costs for hospitals that rely on foreign health providers for staffing, and typically bring on a new class of medical residents, among them many foreign medical school graduates, on July 1.

(Source: The New York Times, 2026-03-17)

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Government, Drug Companies Discussing Most Favored Nation Law

The U.S. government has ​begun engaging pharmaceutical companies as it works ‌to build consensus around legislation to write President Donald Trump's most-favored-nation drug pricing policy into law, HHS chief counsel Chris ​Klomp said. U.S. patients by far pay ​the most for prescription medicines, often nearly ⁠three times more than in other developed nations, and ​Trump has been pressuring drugmakers to lower their prices ​to what people pay elsewhere.

(Source: Reuters, 2026-03-19)

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PCMA Seeks Rollback of PBM Price Transparency Rule

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) is urging the Labor Department to roll back a proposed rule aimed at boosting price transparency in pharmacy benefit management relationships now that Congress has passed industry reforms. The department issued the proposed rule at the end of January, and the regulation would require PBMs to disclose key details, such as rebates and payment from drug companies, to employers and plan sponsors.

(Source: FierceHealthcare, 2026-03-20)

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Supreme Court Could Be Deciding Factor in False Claims Act Case

A legal ruling, expected any day, could lead to permanent changes in how the government handles the kind of False Claim Act cases that have long dogged skilled nursing operations. In a late 2024 decision in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, the District Court found that relators, or whistleblowers, who use the False Claims Act's qui tam provision are essentially appointing themselves government officials in violation of the Constitution.

(Source: McKnight's Long-Term Care News, 2026-03-17)

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Appeals Court Reinstates Whistleblower Suit Against Drug Firms

A U.S. appeals court reinstated a whistleblower lawsuit accusing four major pharmaceutical companies of overcharging for medications supplied to low-income and uninsured patients, potentially costing federal and state governments hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Reuters. The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, allows claims to proceed against AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Sanofi.

(Source: PYMNTS.com, 2026-03-18)

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Lawmakers Re-Introduce Hospice CARE Act to Strengthen Program

Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) have re-introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, designed to modernize the Medicare Hospice Benefit, fight fraud, and expand access to care. The bill contains a blend of program integrity provisions and payment reforms intended to "strengthen" the benefit, according to the lawmakers.

(Source: Hospice News, 2026-03-18)

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CMS Unveils Independent Dispute Resolution Gateway

Healthcare payers and providers will soon be able to file disputes under the No Surprises Act's independent dispute resolution process in a centralized platform. CMS announced on its website the creation of the Independent Dispute Resolution Gateway, a centralized platform that will replace single-use web forms for dispute management.

(Source: TechTarget, 2026-03-18)

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CARF Unveils New AI Standards for Senior Living and Care Programs

Senior living and care programs that seek CARF International accreditation will have new standards to meet beginning this summer, after the organization became the first healthcare accreditor to publish standards for artificial intelligence and augmented intelligence. The standards, published in January, will go into effect for surveys that take place on or after July 1.

(Source: McKnight's Senior Living, 2026-03-20)

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94% of Doctors Use AI or Plan To, Many Concerned About Accuracy

A new Doximity survey shows 94 percent of American physicians using AI or at least keen on it. At the same time, almost three-quarters worry about AI's accuracy and reliability, nearly half fret over its legal and regulatory uncertainty, and 42 percent look askance at its ethical angles.

(Source: HealthExec, 2026-03-18)

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CMS to Phase Out Fax Machines, Paper Mailings for Documentation

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is putting an end to the use of fax machines and snail mail in a final rule. CMS said it is looking to slash wasteful spending and antiquated paperwork by swapping out faxing and mailing for streamlined electronic transactions.

(Source: Healthcare Finance News, 2026-03-23)

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Source

Analysis generated by AI. Source diff and links are from the original.

Classification

Agency
JD Supra
Published
March 31st, 2026
Instrument
Notice
Legal weight
Non-binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Minor

Who this affects

Applies to
Healthcare providers Pharmaceutical companies Government agencies
Industry sector
6211 Healthcare Providers
Geographic scope
United States US

Taxonomy

Primary area
Healthcare
Operational domain
Compliance
Topics
Employment & Labor Consumer Protection

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