After a month-long recess, Congress has returned and is facing a deadline of September 30, 2025, to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Both the House and Senate will only be in session for 14 days (including...more
9/3/2025
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CBO releases final scores for OBBBA. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will increase the uninsurance rate by 10 million individuals over 10 years.
House Energy and...more
7/28/2025
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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
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
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U.S. House
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
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National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
New Legislation ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Trump Administration
House Committees Organize, Senate Committees Begin Nomination Hearings. House healthcare committees held organizing meetings and announced subcommittee assignments, while Senate committees held nomination hearings for...more
Republicans Win Control of White House and Senate, Seem Poised to Maintain Control of House. Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House, and Republicans also gained control of the Senate. Some toss-up House...more
11/11/2024
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Physician Fee Schedule ,
Presidential Elections ,
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Senate Judiciary Committee ,
U.S. House
House Ways & Means Committee Marks Up Telehealth and More. The bills considered in the markup support expanding access to telehealth as well as access to healthcare in rural areas. All six bills passed out of the committee,...more
5/13/2024
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U.S. House
House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Cybersecurity. During the hearing, there was bipartisan concern about UnitedHealth Group’s response to the Change Healthcare cyberattack and consensus around the...more
4/18/2024
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Cybersecurity ,
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GAO ,
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Payment Systems ,
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Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
Appropriations Update. On March 3, Congress released bill text for the CAA, 2024, which includes funding for six of the 12 appropriations bills: Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-VA, Energy-Water, Transportation-HUD,...more
3/11/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
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U.S. House
House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Holds Legislative Hearing on 19 Bills. Lawmakers discussed 19 pieces of legislation designed to support patients and caregivers in the key areas of autism, heart defects,...more
2/19/2024
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Request For Information ,
Senate Committees ,
U.S. House
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
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Medicare Part D ,
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Senate Finance Chair Continues Inquiry into MA Marketing Techniques. Chairman Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to five third-party marketing organizations that participate in the MA enrollment period. The letters seek information on...more
1/29/2024
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CONGRESS -
House Ways & Means Chair Smith, House Energy & Commerce Chair Rodgers and Senate Finance Ranking Member Crapo Call for Withdrawal of Nurse Staffing Mandate. Rep. Smith (R-MO), Rep. Rodgers (R-WA) and Sen. Crapo...more
11/6/2023
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CONGRESS -
House Republicans Still Unable to Elect New Speaker. As of publication of this newsletter, the House has held three roll call votes this week to elect a new speaker, with Rep. Jordan (R-OH) failing all three...more
The price of prescription drugs has brought scrutiny to the entire drug supply chain. Congress and other policymakers continue to seek opportunities to lower costs for patients and the federal government.
Pharmacy benefit...more
9/6/2023
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MCOs ,
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Supply Chain
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
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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 ,
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New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
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Prescription Drugs ,
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Ways and Means Committee