This week in Washington: Congress debates additional legislation to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. ...more
This week in Washington: The House of Representatives passes legislation on fentanyl analogues; Senate continues impeachment trial....more
This week in Washington: Both the House and Senate are back in session....more
2019 saw court hearings of a number of cases related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Several other Trump administration policies were also challenged, including Medicare payment policies, price transparency, how the...more
1/15/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Section 340B ,
Trump Administration
This Week in Washington: The House and Senate are out of session until the new year.
Congress -
House -
House Passes USMCA Trade Deal
...more
12/24/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
HRSA ,
Impeachment ,
Individual Mandate ,
OIG ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
This week in Washington: The House and Senate are in recess.
Congress -
Hearings/Markups -
Senate Special Committee on Aging: “Promoting Healthy Aging – Living Your Best Life Long into Your Golden Years”...more
10/1/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
SAMHSA ,
Trump Administration
Upcoming Hearings/Markups -
Tuesday, July 16, 2019 -
House Committee on Energy and Commerce: “Oversight of Federal Efforts to Combat the Spread of Illicit Fentanyl”
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce,...more
This week in Washington: House to hold hearings on surprise medical billing, drug pricing transparency and a single-payer health system....more
This week in Washington: House to hold hearings on PFAS contamination and exposure, the maternal mortality crisis and single-payer issues....more
5/14/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization (MACRA) ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Trump Administration
Coming Week’s Highlights: Congress will continue to examine drug pricing; on Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee will hold the third in a series of hearings, this one focused on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The House...more
4/9/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
OMB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs
Upcoming Hearings -
Tuesday, April 2, 2019 -
House Committee on Energy and Commerce: “Priced Out of a Lifesaving Drug: The Human Impact of Rising Insulin Costs” -
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the...more
4/2/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
OIG ,
Opioid ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs
Upcoming Hearings -
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 -
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP): “Implementing the 21st Century Cures Act: Making Electronic Health Information Available to Patients and...more
Upcoming Hearings -
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 -
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP): “Vaccines Save Lives: What is Driving Preventable Disease Outbreaks?” -
The Senate Committee on Health,...more
3/5/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicare ,
OMB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs
Coming Week’s Highlights: This week’s focus by many will be whether the government shuts down once more. Legislation must be passed and signed by the President by February 15, in order to keep the departments not yet funded...more
2/12/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Trump Administration
Coming Week’s Highlights: State of the Union scheduled for Feb. 5; House committees continue discussion on pre-existing conditions....more
2/5/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
GAO ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Part D ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B
This Week: The government shutdown continues; Congress finishes organizing and finalizing committee members and begins to focus on the issues. Concern has been raised that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation...more
House -
New Leadership Updates -
On Jan. 9, eight Democratic members were added to the House Energy and Commerce Committee:
Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragan (CA), Robin Kelly (IL), Marc Veasey (TX), Tom O’Halleran (AZ),...more
This Week: Happy New Year! The 116th Congress begins and healthcare issues are part of the "buzz" of day one. Part of the government is still closed. ...more
1/8/2019
/ ACOs ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Section 340B ,
Trump Administration
This Week: The Affordable Care Act was found unconstitutional, but nothing will change as it winds through the courts. As the 115th Congress comes to a close, last-minute bills are introduced, some healthcare legislation...more
Tips for Managing Large Claims Disputes Part 1: Pre-Litigation Avoidance and Early Litigation Strategies -
Large claims disputes brought by providers against payers are on the rise. Based on previous experience with dozens...more
This is the 51st in a series of WorkCite articles concerning the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its companion statute, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (referred to collectively as the...more