This week in Washington: President sends budget request to Congress. ...more
This week in Washington: House and Senate return from congressional work period....more
4/13/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Popular ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Vaccinations
Congress -
House -
Representatives Propose a Permanent Extension of CHIP Funding -
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is looking at ways to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and expand Medicaid coverage. A...more
3/30/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Medicare ,
OMB ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Telehealth ,
Vaccinations
In the nick of time, the U.S. Senate passed legislation on March 25, 2021, to delay a 2 percent across-the-board cut to Medicare through the rest of 2021. The vote was 90 to 2. Without the delay, all Medicare providers would...more
This week in Washington: Becerra confirmed 50-49 to be Secretary of Health and Human Services...more
3/23/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Medicare Part D ,
Nursing Homes ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Vaccinations
This week in Washington: Budget reconciliation package passes and is signed into law; Becerra’s nomination for HHS secretary advances in the Senate....more
This week in Washington: Budget reconciliation goes back to the House with changes for vote on Tuesday....more
This week in Washington: The House votes on budget reconciliation while the Senate ponders the Byrd Rule; Senate committees hold hearings on HHS Secretary-designate Becerra’s confirmation....more
This week in Washington: House committees hold budget reconciliation markups for COVID-19....more
This week in Washington: Congress moves towards budget reconciliation....more
This week in Washington: President Biden issues important executive orders on healthcare....more
2020 saw the courts continuing to play an important role in health policy with several notable lawsuits related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Several other Trump administration policies were challenged, including Medicare...more
2/2/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Section 1557 ,
Section 340B ,
Take Care Clause
This week in Washington: President Joe Biden begins his term and Congress begins work to confirm cabinet secretaries....more
This week in Washington: The 117th Congress will be in session on Jan. 21.
Senate-
Senate Finance Issues Bipartisan Report on Rising Insulin Prices...more
Passed by Congress Dec. 21, 2020, and signed by President Donald Trump Dec. 27, 2020, the $1.4 trillion omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133), includes numerous statutory provisions that directly affect...more
This week in Washington: The 117th Congress will be in session on Jan. 21.
Administration -
•CMS: 2022 Requests for Applications for the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model and its Hospice Benefit Component...more
Passed by Congress Dec. 21, 2020, and signed by President Donald Trump Dec. 27, 2020, the $1.4 trillion omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act includes numerous provisions that directly impact Medicare and Medicaid...more
This week in Washington: Washington waited for a COVID-19 stimulus and omnibus appropriations bill ahead of the holiday recess, and a deal was struck Sunday night; Attached to the COVID-19 relief provisions and omnibus...more
This week in Washington: Congress passes funding bill for an additional week to come up with full-year spending legislation to avoid a government shutdown....more
This week in Washington: COVID-19 relief bill negotiations begin in earnest; Congress works on Appropriations bills hoping to have them passed before government funding ends on Dec. 11....more
This week in Washington: Congress gets organized for next Congress; House passes health care bills; COVID-19 vaccine is the talk of the town....more
11/24/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicare Part B ,
OIG ,
Vaccinations
This week in Washington: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced he is waiting to see who will become the next House speaker before working on another COVID-19 stimulus package; Senate Appropriations Committee releases...more
11/17/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Hospitals ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Medicaid ,
Physicians ,
Trump Administration
This week in Washington: Washington’s focus has been on the presidential and Senate races....more
11/10/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part A ,
Medicare Part B ,
OMB ,
Physicians
This week in Washington: Washington is relatively quiet because of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. Grassley, Hassan Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Transparency and Accountability within the Federal Government...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued an updated fact sheet and a FAQ page detailing the repayment terms for Medicare Part A providers and Part B suppliers who received payments under its...more