Federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – which covers approximately 9 million children nationwide at a cost of approximately $15 billion per year – expires September 30. Thus far, congressional...more
There are numerous Medicare programs (referred to as Medicare "extenders") that have already expired or will expire later this year, prompting congressional action. If Congress were to reauthorize all provisions for another...more
On June 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule entitled, "Medicare Program; CY 2018 Updates to the Quality Payment Program." CMS proposed changes for the second year (2018) of the...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released several annual Medicare proposed payment rules over the summer that are expected to be finalized this fall for 2018.
On July 13, CMS released the proposed 2018...more
In May, President Trump initiated the renegotiation process for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the landmark 1994 trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Direct talks, which began in August,...more
Dating all the way back to the campaign last year, President Trump has long focused on advancing a broad-based infrastructure investment program. Initially expected this spring, the White House is now expected to release an...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 July 13, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed 2018 Physician Fee Schedule that would update payment policies, payment rates and quality provisions for physicians and other medical...more
The House Appropriations Committee is quickly working its way through the 12 appropriations bills that will fund the government for the 2018 fiscal year. At this point, all 12 appropriations subcommittees have completed their...more
On July 12, the House passed a five-year reauthorization of four different user fee agreements that account for over a quarter of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) overall funding. The legislation, titled "The Food and...more
While tax reform watchers wait for the White House's September tax reform proposal, the House Ways and Means Committee is moving forward. On July 13 and 19, the Committee held hearings examining the potential impact of tax...more
Trade will move to the forefront over the coming months as the Trump Administration is poised to take significant steps related to international trade in steel and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
During...more
The United States District Court for the District of Maryland has denied a motion to dismiss filed on behalf of a developer, and allowed claims of a property owner’s association to proceed that concern actions taken while the...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
Federal student loans have taken on a newfound importance as the Trump Administration seeks to re-envision the role of the federal government in providing funding for higher education. Proposed changes and items under...more
President Trump's entry into efforts to privatize the nation's air traffic control (ATC) system has breathed new life into an idea championed by House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA)....more
On June 8, the House voted along party lines to repeal many of the stricter regulations of the Dodd-Frank Act enacted after the 2008 financial crisis, taking the first step in a long-held Republican desire to roll back the...more
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 18, the Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017 (S. 870). The bipartisan bill aims to modernize care...more
On June 20, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule entitled, "Medicare Program; CY 2018 Updates to the Quality Payment Program." CMS proposes changes for the second year (2018) of the...more
6/26/2017
/ Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
CEHRT ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization (MACRA) ,
MIPS ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Rules ,
Provider Payments ,
Public Comment
On May 11 and June 7, the Senate HELP Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively, both advanced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize four different user fee agreements that account for over a quarter of...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
On March 16, the debt limit ceiling suspension agreed to in the lead up to the 2016 elections officially expired, meaning the U.S. government can no longer take on additional debt until the ceiling is raised. Currently, the...more