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) ,
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Regulatory Agenda ,
Trump Administration
Welcome to what technically was supposed to be a congressional recess week in advance of the Fourth of July. The Fourth also has been Republicans’ internal deadline for having a reconciliation package on the president’s desk,...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 ,
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Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Finance Committee
The House is out this week for the Juneteenth holiday, but the Senate will be in town through Wednesday. We expect these three days to be significant because the Senate Finance Committee has announced that it intends to...more
6/17/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Congressional Committees ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
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
Senate Prepares to Take Up Reconciliation Bill. Discussions about the bill’s real-world implications continued during this week’s recess....more
Short Congressional Recess, Short Preview -
While Congress is in recess this week, we are still on reconciliation watch as consideration of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act moves to the Senate. We are on the lookout for a...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
MAHA and More Medicaid -
Late Sunday night, May 18, 2025, the House Budget Committee voted to advance the reconciliation package drafted by the Energy and Commerce Committee and Ways and Means Committee last week. The four...more
5/20/2025
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Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
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) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Drug Pricing ,
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Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Trump Administration
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
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) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
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Medicare Advantage ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
New Legislation ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Trump Administration
Attention Turns to Government Funding -
Last week, after some drama on the floor, the House passed its version of a budget resolution in a 217 – 215 vote, a week after the Senate passed its “skinny” resolution. For the...more
3/4/2025
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Budget ,
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Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
House Passes Budget Resolution. On February 25, the House voted 217 – 215 to advance its version of a budget resolution to outline the reconciliation process. In a dramatic display of how quickly things can change, the vote...more
3/3/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
Can the House Pass a Budget Resolution This Week?
The House is back from recess, so both chambers of Congress are in session this week (although the House is out again on Friday).
With 18 days left to pass a budget before...more
After the Presidents Day long weekend, the House is out of session this week. The Senate is in session, with a continued focus on nominations and potential floor action on the budget resolution that the Senate Budget...more
2/19/2025
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
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New Legislation ,
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Senate Committees ,
Trump Administration
A lot has happened in the last three weeks, so here’s a high-level recap:
Congress successfully, albeit rockily, passed a continuing resolution that will fund the government through March 14, 2025. That legislation...more
1/7/2025
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Telehealth ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. House
118th Congress Wraps Up -
Congress has five days to complete remaining business before the December 20 government funding deadline. It is still expected that the government will be funded via a short-term continuing...more
Congress Continues Election Recess. Members are on the campaign trail and are scheduled to return for the lame duck session on November 12, 2024.
CMS Releases Proposed NBPP for 2026. The proposed Notice of Benefit and...more
10/14/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Committees ,
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GAO ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
U.S. House
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) ,
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Final Rules ,
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HELP ,
HRSA ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Bans ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Should Congress Stay or Should They Go Now?
Congress has two more weeks to extend government funding past the September 30 deadline through a short-term continuing resolution (CR). So, the question isn’t really if they...more
House Education & the Workforce Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Holds Hearing on ERISA’s 50th Anniversary. Members and witnesses assessed how the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)...more
9/16/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Final Rules ,
GAO ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HRSA ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
New Legislation ,
NQTLs ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
U.S. House
Congress is back from a long August recess. However, it is only back for a few weeks. During this window, there is only one major thing Congress must do: extend government funding past the September 30 deadline through a...more
9/10/2024
/ Congressional Committees ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
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Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
New Legislation ,
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Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Regulatory Agenda
CMS Finalizes New TCET Pathway. The final procedural notice, effective immediately, creates a new pathway that uses existing national coverage determination and coverage with evidence development (CED) processes to expedite...more
Senate HELP Committee Marks Up Public Health Program Reauthorizations. The bills would reauthorize several programs related to older adults, individuals with developmental disabilities and individuals with traumatic brain...more