The Washington Post reports that “Congressional leaders and White House officials agreed Monday to extend a government funding deadline by two weeks, until Dec. 21,” due to the late President Bush’s state funeral this week.
The Wall Street Journal, to the FEHBlog’s surprise reports that
[Senior Federal Judge Richard Leon] in a brief hearing Monday said [to lawyers for the Justice Department, CVS Health, and Aetna] he’s considering requiring that the merged firm hold the CVS and Aetna assets separate until he has more time to consider the settlement. If he does so, it could cause considerable disruptions for the newly merged firm, as CVS began integrating Aetna’s assets immediately after the deal closed last week.
The judge set another hearing date for December 18. If he were to issue such an order, it would be appealable to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, in the FEHBlog’s opinion.
Also on the competition front, the ACA regulators, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury, have released a report to President Trump on Reforming America’s Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition as required by Executive Order 13,813. Check it out.