The Chevron decision has the potential to impact public health and access to public healthcare, according to these organizations.
The United States Supreme Court recently overturned the long-standing Chevron deference doctrine, which held that courts should defer to agency interpretations of statutes that fall under the particular agency's purview, when the interpretation is reasonable, and the meaning of a statute is not made explicitly clear by Congress.
Hospitals and health systems will now potentially have to wait through legal challenges to regulations that were previously determined by the many federal agencies that influence healthcare.
An amicus brief, published in September 2023, warned that "overruling Chevron would have enormous impact on the administration of federal programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, that are critical to public health."
The brief was signed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, ALS Association, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Public Health Association, American Thoracic Society, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Child Neurology Foundation, Epilepsy Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Health Law Program, Physicians for Social Responsibility, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Truth Initiative.
Here's what you need to know about how the Chevron decision will impact healthcare.
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G Hatfield is the nursing editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The United States Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference doctrine which will leave the interpretation of ambiguous regulatory standards up to the courts rather than dedicated federal agencies.
Several American medical associations are disappointed with this decision, warning that it will significantly disrupt publicly funded healthcare programs and impact patient health and wellbeing.