How Chevron ruling could impact optometry

The AOA has its eyes on a new ruling that could potentially affect regulations that impact doctors and their patients.
The Supreme Court recently overturned Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, a 1984 ruling that gave government agencies broad discretion to interpret "ambiguous" laws. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling, in effect, has given government agencies less authority to develop regulations that are not fully rooted in federal legislation and subjects agencies to more judicial oversight.
What could this mean for optometry?
Make your voice heardThe AOA Board of Trustees and AOA advocacy committees are continuing their long-standing effort to remove unnecessary regulations that create inefficiencies and cost doctors time and money. The AOA leadership needs your input as it investigates how this new ruling could impact optometry. The objective is to explore potential legal avenues to reduce unnecessary regulations impacting doctors and their patients. At the same time, we recognize that anti-optometry groups are likely to seek to leverage this new ruling to diminish the doctor-patient relationship as well as optometry’s essential and expanding role in health care. Please answer this short survey to provide your input: Reducing Regulatory Burden |
Priority no. 1: Patient protection
It’s important to keep in mind that not all regulations are negative; some regulations are necessary to protect patients and the profession from groups that would otherwise act in ways that undermine quality care.
One notable current example is the active federal agency crackdown on abuses by Medicare Advantage plans, which the AOA has championed.
In addition, the process for challenging regulations has not fundamentally changed. It still depends primarily on the specific facts, history and authority behind each regulation, and even when the facts appear favorable, the process is drawn out and the outcome uncertain. However, as an advocacy organization, the AOA continuously evaluates all tools available to protect doctors and their patients.
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