https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-vitals-fca251e2-81eb-4bea-bd8d-e37ced8516e1.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosvitals&stream=top

The federal government yesterday updated its list of in-progress health care regulations, Axios’ Bob Herman reports.

A few worth highlighting:

• A rule that would formally allow pharmacists and drug distributors to import some drugs from Canada.
• The Trump administration’s idea of tying the prices of certain drugs in Medicare to lower international rates is getting closer to an actual proposal, perhaps coming out as soon as this month.
• A proposal that would speed up Medicare’s coverage of “breakthrough technologies.”
• A requirement that a patient’s health information be shared more easily among doctors and other providers.

Threat level: Many of these regulations are not formal proposals yet, so it’ll be years before they get enacted — if they get enacted at all after industry groups lobby.

• Policies driven by the executive branch often have squishy timelines, or can be squashed altogether.
• For example: An Obama-era regulation that addressed charities paying insurance premiums for dialysis patients is still on the docket to come out any day now.
• And the Trump administration has already spiked one of its own rules that would’ve reduced nicotine levels in cigarettes, Bloomberg reported.

Other regulations, like Medicare’s payment rules for hospitals and updated policies on Medicare Advantage, have to come out at certain times every year. That’s where a lot of the action remains.