The House is in recess this week, while the Senate is in today, tomorrow and Thursday. With this being a short work week, there is limited committee activity. However, the Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing on...more
Congress is in session for three weeks in June and also will be session for three weeks in July before the August recess. This week we continue to see committee activity examining various aspects of the healthcare space....more
While congressional debate and action will focus on aid to Israel this week, committees will continue to move forward their health agendas via hearings. The House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Change Healthcare...more
4/16/2024
/ Congressional Review Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Federal Budget ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Israel ,
Long-Term Care ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare
Congress Passes CR and Averts Government Shutdown. As appropriators continue to draft the 12 funding bills for FY 2024, a new stopgap CR was needed to avoid a partial government shutdown on January 19. The Senate passed the...more
What does December 31, 2024, mean to you? New Year’s Eve? Post-2024 election? Too far away to know?
Our answer: December 31, 2024, is when we will go over a “telehealth cliff” if Congress fails to act before that date,...more
CONGRESS -
Senators Sanders and Marshall Release Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act. Released on September 14, the legislation would reauthorize funding for a number of healthcare workforce programs that are...more
9/20/2023
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Legislation ,
U.S. House
Congress is officially in recess for the month of August and will return after Labor Day. On the regulatory front, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final fiscal year (FY) 2024 Inpatient...more
8/4/2023
/ Acute Facilities ,
Billing ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
Patient Prospective Payment System ,
Payment Systems
The House and Senate were both in session this week, with healthcare activity at the committee level. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on innovation and a markup of 15 healthcare bills. The Senate...more
7/24/2023
/ Billing ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HELP Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
MCOs ,
Medicare ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SAMHSA ,
Senate Committees ,
Technology ,
Telehealth ,
U.S. House ,
Vaccinations
Congress was in session for a final week of legislative business before the two-week Independence Day recess. The House brought a small-business-focused healthcare bill to the floor, approving it along party lines....more
6/23/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Comment Period ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Legislative Committees ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization (MACRA) ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation
All Eyes on Debt Limit Votes in the House -
Over the weekend, President Biden and Speaker of the House McCarthy (R-CA) reached a deal to raise the debt limit for two years (until 2025). The deal, dubbed the Fiscal...more
The House was in session this week, while the Senate was in recess. The House Energy & Commerce Committee continued its work on healthcare by advancing six bills that address competition, transparency and access to care. The...more
5/30/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Transparency
The House and Senate were both in session this week, with significant healthcare activity at the committee level. The House Ways & Means Committee met to discuss healthcare price transparency, and the Ways & Means Health...more
5/19/2023
/ Abortion ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare Advantage ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Price Transparency ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Ways and Means Committee
Debt Limit Debate Continues -
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen previously announced that the government could run out of money to fund government operations “potentially as early as June 1” unless Congress acts to address...more
The House and Senate were both in session this week. The House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee met to discuss policies inhibiting innovation and patient access, and the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee held a...more
5/12/2023
/ Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Deadlines ,
GAO ,
Healthcare ,
HELP ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency
Debt-Limit Discussions and Ending the PHE -
On Tuesday, President Biden will meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader...more
The House held a district work week while the Senate was in session, with plenty of healthcare action at the committee level. The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on barriers to mental health care. The Senate Health,...more
5/8/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
HELP ,
MACPAC ,
Mental Health ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Public Health Emergency
Congress was in session, and it was a busy healthcare week at the committee level, with six hearings focused specifically on health issues. On the House floor, Republicans passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act—a bill that raises...more
5/2/2023
/ Abortion ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Funding ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HELP ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Price Transparency ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Right of Access
Lots of Healthcare Activity in Congress -
Activity in Congress focusing on healthcare issues has increased over the last few weeks and is not slowing down anytime soon. This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and...more
5/1/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
HELP ,
Medicaid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
State Medicaid Programs ,
Transparency
Although we are still awaiting final results of the November 8, 2022, midterm elections, the US House of Representatives appears likely to flip to Republican control, while the US Senate will remain in Democratic hands....more