HHS again postpones retrospective review of regulations

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday postponed until Sept. 22, pending judicial review, the effective date for a Trump Administration rule that would require the agency to assess periodically each regulation to determine whether it has a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities and, if so, determine whether to retain, modify or eliminate the regulation. HHS last October proposed withdrawing the rule, which was scheduled to take effect March 22 after a previous one-year delay. AHA supports withdrawing the rule due to concern it does not provide an adequate mechanism for obtaining public input on the substance of the regulations reviewed. Plaintiffs last year filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the rule.