Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price resigned on September 29, following the collapse of Republicans' efforts to repeal-and-replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and revelations that he spent more...more
Federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – which covers nearly nine million children nationwide at a total cost of approximately $14 billion per year – expired on September 30 as congressional action...more
On October 6, the Trump Administration issued two new interim final rules that significantly expand exemptions for employers to the ACA's requirements to provide free contraceptive coverage. The new regulations, effective...more
President Trump is expected to issue an executive order in the coming days that would direct federal agencies to expand access to association health plans (AHPs), which would be exempt from the ACA's coverage requirements and...more
Following defections from Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), John McCain (R-AZ), and Susan Collins (R-ME), Senate Republican leaders announced on September 26 that they did not have the votes for the Graham-Cassidy plan – the last...more
This week, the debate over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) gained new momentum in two separate, but connected channels. As the fiscal year (FY) budget reconciliation window enabling expedited passage of an ACA repeal draws to a...more
9/21/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Block Grants ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Governors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Political Parties ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Repeal ,
Stabilization Issues ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
September is traditionally one of the busiest months in Washington, and this year is no exception. While much of the attention is focused on the debt ceiling debate, appropriations and the federal response to Hurricane...more
After a late-night defeat, it appears that Senate Republicans' years-long push to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has stalled following deep divisions between moderate and conservative members over the goals and various...more
On July 13, the Boards of Trustees for Medicare issued the annual Trustees Report to the Congress on the financial operations and actuarial status of the Medicare Program. The trustees estimate that the trust fund financing...more
On Monday evening, July 17, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) issued joint statements in opposition to the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), the Senate Republicans' companion bill to the House-passed...more
Having returned from its Memorial Day recess, Congress now enters one of the longest continuous work periods of the year and – with the exception of the week of the Fourth of July – will likely be in session until the end of...more
6/28/2017
/ ACOs ,
Affordable Care Act ,
American Health Care Act (AHCA) ,
Budget Control Act of 2011 ,
Chronic Care Managment (CCM) ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Debt Ceiling ,
FDA Reauthorization Act ,
Federal Budget ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GDUFA ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
OMB ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
On June 22, Senate Republicans released a discussion draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), their companion bill to the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). The legislation, which reforms the Affordable...more
On May 24, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) released much-anticipated analysis of the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). Overall, CBO projected that the AHCA would reduce...more
Tax reform, perennially among the GOP's top priorities, has taken a back seat to other, more pressing priorities since an initial burst of interest caused by the Trump Administration's release of a one-page outline in April....more
On Tuesday, May 23, the White House released the President's fiscal year 2018 (FY18) budget, launching a contentious and consequential debate that is expected to last through the end of the fiscal year and possibly beyond....more
5/29/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Education ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Federal Budget ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
HRSA ,
IPAB ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part A ,
Medicare Part D ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Popular ,
Social Security ,
Social Security Disability ,
Trump Administration ,
USDA
April saw the debate in Congress heat up as Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed for a seat on the Supreme Court, House Republicans suspended, restarted and then ultimately succeeded in their effort to repeal and replace the...more
While the FY17 appropriations package dominated the headlines, the debate surrounding the FY18 budget has begun in the House and Senate Budget Committees. House Budget Chair Diane Black (R-TN) said the House Budget Committee...more
On May 4, 2017, the House of Representatives succeeded in passing legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The American Health Care Act (AHCA) now moves to the Senate where its passage is far from...more
On Thursday, April 13, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a long-awaited regulation intended to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual health insurance marketplace. The final rule tracks closely...more
All of Washington was watching as House Republicans failed to meet a self-imposed deadline to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The House Republican replacement proposal, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which had...more
On March 24, the AHCA, the House Republican plan to repeal and replace the ACA, was pulled from consideration at the last minute after Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) reportedly told President Trump the measure did not have the...more
The American Health Care Act (AHCA), the House Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was pulled from consideration at the last minute after Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) reportedly told President...more
On Thursday, March 9, after two overnight markups (one lasting 18 hours and one more than 27 hours), the House Ways and Means Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 23 to 16 and 32 to 23, respectively, to...more
With President Donald Trump in the White House and Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, 2017 will see Republicans looking to undo much of President Obama's legacy and advance longstanding policy priorities....more
Long near the top of the priority list, congressional Republicans now have an opportunity to move forward with tax reform. In fact, Republican leaders have committed to utilizing one of this year's two budget reconciliation...more