On June 3, President Biden signed the debt limit legislation into law, averting default and allowing Congress to return to regularly scheduled business. However, that return was short-lived in the House when a small group of...more
6/9/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
HELP ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Investment ,
Mental Health ,
Opioid ,
Social Security ,
Telehealth
On April 26, 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on 17 healthcare bills, including one that would direct the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement...more
Debt Limit Extended . . . Now What?
Late last week, Congress reached a bipartisan, bicameral deal to suspend the debt ceiling into 2025. Over the weekend, President Biden signed the bill into law, preventing the United...more
6/6/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Debt ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Healthcare ,
HELP ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Telehealth
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
The House’s scheduled Memorial Day recess was cut short after President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy (R-CA) announced last weekend that they had reached a deal on raising the debt limit. The House...more
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
The proposed rule would make transparency-related updates to state directed payments (SDPs). It would also require states to submit an annual payment analysis that compares managed care plans’ payment rates for routine...more
On May 3, 2023 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the proposed rule Medicaid Program; Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services. The proposed rule seeks to increase transparency in payment rates,...more
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
A Busy Week in Congress -
This week will be very busy on Capitol Hill. Six hearings will focus specifically on healthcare. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a legislative hearing to review 17 pieces of...more
Congress Is Back for an Important Work Period -
Congress is back from its two-week spring recess. This work period in Congress will go through the Memorial Day recess. This is a very important work period stretch for...more
On February 6, a US district court in Texas vacated provisions of the No Surprises Act final rule related to the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process for determining payment for out-of-network services....more
+Dx Forum 2023 is the premier gathering for the laboratory diagnostics community.
Join us for insightful discussion about the latest regulatory and reimbursement developments....more
2/1/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Clinical Laboratories ,
Diagnostic Tests ,
Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (EKRA) ,
Events ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Laboratory Developed Tests ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) ,
Prior Authorization ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reimbursements
During this webinar, Heather Cooper and Carl Fleming, partners in the McDermott’s energy & project finance group, teamed up with McDermott+Consulting’s Debra Curtis to break down the key opportunities and actionable steps...more
11/21/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Financing ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Investment Tax Credits ,
Production Tax Credit ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Equity
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