Government Is Funded, Congress at Home for the Week. On March 15, 2025, President Trump signed a continuing resolution (CR) into law that funds the government and provides short-term extensions of certain healthcare programs...more
3/24/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Technology Sector ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
Congress Begins Disaster Relief Efforts, Continues Organizing for 119th Congress. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, lawmakers are focused on funding an emergency supplemental disaster relief package. President...more
11/25/2024
/ Cybersecurity ,
DEA ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Lame Duck Session ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Trump Administration
Congress Votes on CR, Health-Related Legislation. After reaching a deal over the weekend, both chambers passed a CR to avoid a government shutdown and fund the federal government through December 20, 2024. This tees up a push...more
9/30/2024
/ Abortion ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HELP ,
HRSA ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Bans ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Senate Judiciary Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Georgia Abortion Ban. The field hearing examined how Georgia’s abortion ban impacts women’s health, and featured patient and physician witnesses....more
9/23/2024
/ Abortion ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Georgia ,
HRSA ,
Human Rights ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
State Bans ,
Telehealth
Congress Returns. The House and Senate will be back in session on September 9, 2024, with a joint focus on completing consideration of a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain government funding beyond the end of fiscal year...more
9/6/2024
/ Abortion ,
Congressional Committees ,
DEA ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Roe v Wade ,
SCOTUS ,
Telehealth
House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Value-Based Care. The hearing examined the challenges and opportunities associated with delivering better health outcomes and Medicare savings through value-based care....more
7/1/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Committees ,
Telehealth ,
U.S. House
May 11, 2024, marked one year since the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), and not much has changed in Medicare telehealth policy. We are still operating under temporary waivers and flexibilities and, as a...more
5/15/2024
/ Controlled Substances ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Sciences ,
Mental Health ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Senate Finance Health Subcommittee Holds Roundtable on Substance Use Disorder Care. Panelists and members discussed how to improve treatment in federal health programs.
House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Holds...more
4/15/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Chronic Care Managment (CCM) ,
Federal Health Care Programs (FHCP) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) ,
Long-Term Care ,
Medicare ,
Proposed Rules ,
Prospective Payment System (PPS) ,
Substance Abuse ,
Telehealth
House Energy and Commerce Committee Holds Hearing on Healthcare Costs. The hearing included discussion on what factors are causing cost increases for individuals, for the healthcare sector, and for federal health programs...more
2/2/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Part D ,
Mental Health ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
SAMHSA ,
Senate Committees ,
Substance Abuse ,
Telehealth ,
U.S. House
Congress Passes Two-Tiered CR to Fund Government into Early 2024. In the absence of final passage of any of the 12 annual appropriations bills for FY 2024, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) unveiled a short-term CR, H.R. 6363, the...more
CONGRESS -
Senate Finance Committee Holds Markup on Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act. The bipartisan package includes Medicare and Medicaid extenders, provisions to expand the mental health...more
11/10/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Senate Committees ,
Telehealth ,
U.S. House
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
Uncharted Territory in the House: The House voted to remove Rep. McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House, then recessed until at least October 11, when the House is slated to reconvene to elect a new...more
10/9/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Extensions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Laboratory Developed Tests ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Over The Counter Drugs (OTC) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Request For Information ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Temporary Regulations ,
U.S. Treasury
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
The House and Senate were both in session this week, with healthcare activity continuing at the committee level. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings on the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA)...more
6/16/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Debt ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Healthcare ,
HELP ,
Hospitals ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Transgender
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