Congress continues a quiet recess. Lawmakers will be back on September 2, 2025. CMS releases final FY 2026 payment regulations. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated payment rates in the final fiscal year...more
8/25/2025
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Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Education ,
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Drug Pricing ,
Executive Orders ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF program) ,
SCOTUS
Senate HELP Committee advances legislation, examines healthcare affordability. The legislation would reauthorize expiring programs, including the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Program.
Senate Appropriations...more
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- OBBBA implementation begins. While the administration focuses on implementing the new law, some lawmakers are already discussing adjustments to health provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act...more
7/21/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
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Fraud ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
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Healthcare Reform ,
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MIPS ,
New Legislation ,
OPPS ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Senate Committees ,
Technology ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- President Trumps signs OBBBA into law. After months of debate, Congress passed and President Trump signed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), into law on July 4, 2025.
- Senate HELP...more
7/14/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
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Federal Budget ,
Healthcare ,
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HELP ,
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Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health Emergency ,
SCOTUS ,
Senate Committees ,
Trump Administration
Reconciliation aftermath -
Last week, President Trump signed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, into law after months of work on the reconciliation package. This week, things will slightly cool down in Washington, DC....more
7/8/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Federal Funding ,
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Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
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Medicare ,
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Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Trump Administration
Senate Reconciliation Process Continues. Republicans are adjusting language to comply with Senate rules and appease various wings of the party....more
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- Senate Finance Committee Releases Reconciliation Text. The language is subject to change as negotiations continue and the Byrd rule process plays out.
- CMS Releases MA Risk Adjustment Audit Methodology...more
6/19/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Agencies ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Finance Committee
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- Reconciliation Moves Forward. Senate committees continue to release their reconciliation provisions.
- NIH Director Testifies on FY 2026 Budget. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Bhattacharya...more
6/16/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Trump Administration
UPDATE: On June 4, 2025, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released updated cost estimates of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. We have updated our summary of the bill’s health provisions to reflect these new CBO...more
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- Senate Begins Work on Reconciliation. Democrats prepared to file points of order to exclude certain provisions under the Byrd rule, while Republicans discussed key health provisions.
- White House Sends...more
Congress is back from recess this week, and focus is on the Senate’s consideration of the House-passed reconciliation bill. Much of this work – for example, ensuring that provisions are consistent with the Byrd Rule – will be...more
Senate Prepares to Take Up Reconciliation Bill. Discussions about the bill’s real-world implications continued during this week’s recess....more
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- House Passes Reconciliation Package. The package now moves to the Senate, where substantive changes, including in healthcare, will likely be made.
- HHS Secretary Kennedy, FDA Commissioner Makary...more
5/27/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Executive Orders ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare Advantage ,
New Legislation ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- Key House Health Committees Advance Reconciliation, Bill Held Up in Budget Committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee and Ways and Means Committee passed their recommendations for reconciliation out of...more
5/19/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Executive Orders ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Senate Judiciary Committee ,
Trump Administration
Reconciliation Text Is Here -
Late Sunday night, May 11, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released the much-anticipated budget reconciliation bill text ahead of its scheduled markup on May 13,...more
5/13/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
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Healthcare Reform ,
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Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Trump Administration
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- House Committees Begin Reconciliation Markups. Non-health-related committees moved forward this week, with the House Energy and Commerce Committee tentatively scheduled to mark up its legislative text in...more
The topic of “food as medicine” has gained increased attention recently, driven by a growing recognition of the role nutrition plays in preventing and managing chronic diseases. This article provides a high-level overview of...more
After a two-week recess, lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill to begin marking up their budget reconciliation legislation. The budget resolution that passed in early April instructs committees to spend or save a certain amount....more
HELP Committee Releases 340B Report. Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Chair Cassidy (R-LA) released findings from his investigation and laid out potential reforms to the 340B Drug Pricing Program....more
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
House Passes Concurrent Budget Resolution for Reconciliation Process. Passage of the resolution didn’t resolve the policy differences between the House and the Senate. Those still need to be addressed as...more
THIS WEEK’S DOSE -
- Reconciliation Moves Forward with Senate Introduction of Concurrent Budget Resolution. This move initiates the next stage in the reconciliation process, which requires House and Senate passage of a...more
Reconciliation Watch -
Reports indicate that the Senate will move as soon as Wednesday to begin advancing a unified budget plan. The Senate hopes to be able to advance the budget resolution by having the two chambers...more
4/1/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Committees ,
Trump Administration
Senate Confirms FDA, NIH Nominations, Advances CMS Nomination. On March 25, 2025, the Senate confirmed Martin Makary, MD, as the next FDA commissioner by a 56 – 44 vote. Sens. Durbin (D-IL), Hassan (D-NH), and Shaheen (D-NH)...more
3/31/2025
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
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Government Agencies ,
Medicare Advantage ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
New Legislation ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Trump Administration
Lawmakers are back in Washington, DC, after a week-long recess. Both chambers will be in town for three weeks before a two-week Easter recess in mid-April. With the government funded through the end of this fiscal year, focus...more
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