Of the scores of day-one executive orders (EOs) issued by President Trump, the order rescinding a Biden administration executive order on lowering prescription drug costs is receiving much attention, given implications the...more
The House of Representatives aims to keep the U.S. at the leading edge of AI policy and innovation with a bipartisan task force while the FTC considers expanding a rule to crack down on AI impersonation. Meanwhile, a recent...more
In late December, Congress passed and President Biden signed into law a $1.7 trillion year-end omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government through FY2023. This alert summarizes the notable health policies and...more
We are at a major crossroads in U.S. health policy. The direction for American health care in 2021 and beyond will depend in large part on events that are unfolding now, and that will come to fruition in the first half of...more
Many health insurers and HMOs may be considering entering or reentering the individual health insurance market, either on or off a federal or state-based health insurance marketplace. Over the last two years, the individual...more
The period of reduced economic activity in the United States due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has resulted in fewer in-office health care visits and procedures and, therefore, reduced claims costs for health insurers....more
A federal district court in Fort Worth, Texas struck down the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) last Friday in a ruling that’s prompting questions about whether its legal reasoning will withstand further scrutiny, and whether...more
On June 19, 2018, the Trump administration took the first step in a three-part effort to expand affordable health plan options for consumers when the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finalized a proposed rule designed to make...more
Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a powerful policy tool for states in the Trump era. The provision authorizes states to waive certain ACA provisions and receive federal funding for state programs, provided...more
In what may be the first enforcement action taken by a state regulator against an “Obamacare” health plan for provider network problems, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner imposed a fine and suspended...more
On Friday, October 27, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published its draft annual Proposed Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters for Calendar Year 2019. This proposal follows on the heels of a Request...more
Last week, the Senate unveiled the Graham-Cassidy Bill, Republican legislators’ latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Crafted by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, Lindsey Graham, R-SC, Dean Heller, R-NV, and Ron...more
As efforts to make sweeping legislative changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at the federal level have stalled, states are increasingly looking to stabilize and reform their own health insurance markets. Section 1332 of...more
On June 22, the Senate unveiled its counterpart to the House of Representatives’ American Health Care Act (AHCA) — the Better Reconciliation Act (BCRA) — and Republican leaders have reportedly indicated a desire to vote on...more
Since last November’s election, the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been very much in doubt. It can be debated whether the health insurance exchanges (Exchanges) are in a “death spiral” as President Trump...more
On April 13, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its Marketplace Stabilization Rule. This is the first Trump administration regulation that applies to the health insurance markets remade by...more