In recent elections, health care has been one of the most hot-button issues with consequences for millions of Americans, and this election is no exception. The next administration and the 119th Congress have the potential to...more
8/27/2024
/ Abortion ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Presidential Elections ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues
Welcome back. This week, the Senate Finance Committee is set to meet privately to discuss the drug pricing legislation being developed by the committee. All signs point to a deal being close with a few outstanding provisions,...more
This week, Congress is keeping its eye on drug pricing with a reported hearing in the House Ways & Means Committee. This comes on the heels of the full E&C Committee advancing six pieces of bipartisan legislation for full...more
Are Lawmakers and Stakeholders Ready for the Silver Tsunami? -
Last week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a projection that shows Medicare enrollment will grow by more than 30 percent in the next decade...more
2/16/2016
/ ACOs ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Drug Pricing ,
Elder Issues ,
FCC ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare Costs ,
Medical Debt ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Substance Abuse ,
TCPA ,
Telemedicine
On February 3, 2016, a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) have unveiled legislation that would expand the use of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring under...more
Ways & Means Leadership Changes – Health Policy Implications Looming:
As Congress pushes forward with a two-year budget deal, and new Speaker Paul Ryan begins his tenure as the top Republican in the House of...more
11/4/2015
/ 21st Century Cures Initiative ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Automatic Enrollment ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Co-Op ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Drug Pricing ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Federal Budget ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
FTEs ,
Generic Drugs ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospitals ,
ICD-10 ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
MedPAC ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
Open Enrollment ,
OPPS ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rebates ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SCOTUS ,
Substance Abuse ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Tobacco Regulations ,
Two-Midnight Rule ,
U.S. Treasury
Senate Working Group Pressing Forward on Telehealth -
As Congress focuses on bigger picture policy decisions, including broad budget negotiations and raising the debt ceiling, there are some exciting developments on the...more
10/29/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Barack Obama ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Co-Op ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Elder Issues ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fee-for-Service ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Mental Health ,
Orphan Drugs ,
PACE ,
Prescription Drugs ,
SAMHSA ,
Section 340B ,
Social Security ,
State Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Substance Abuse ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Cuts in Mandatory Entitlement Programs Center of Budget Negotiations: As budget negotiators from both sides of the Hill come together to work out a two-year budget deal, determining how sequestration relief will be paid for...more
10/20/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Barack Obama ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Co-Op ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Entitlements ,
Federal Budget ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
MedPAC ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reconciliation ,
Social Security Act ,
Social Security Benefits ,
Undocumented Immigrants
CMS Releases Final Payment Rules (IPPS, IRF, LTCHs, Hospice, and Psych): At the end of last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a set of final 2016 payment rules affecting acute care hospitals...more
8/4/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
DSH ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Psychiatric Hospitals ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Two-Midnight Rule ,
Value-Based Purchasing
ACA Repeal Votes Continue: As part of a rare Senate Sunday session to consider a bill to replenish the highway trust fund for six years, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) brought up an amendment to repeal the ACA—in...more
7/29/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicare ,
Obama Administration ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Substance Abuse
Congress Slowly Works on Budget Reconciliation; ACA Reform Proposals Still Up in the Air -
The FY 2016 budget resolution, which was agreed to by Congress this past April, included broad reconciliation instructions...more
7/21/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
AHRQ ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Drug Pricing ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Federal Budget ,
Fraud Prevention ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare.gov ,
Home Health Care ,
ICD-10 ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Records ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Obama Administration ,
OMB ,
ONC ,
Pending Legislation ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
In This Issue:
- Recent Mandatory APMs Signal Evolution in Delivery Reform Efforts
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Congressional Initiatives
- Upcoming...more
7/14/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Home Health Care ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Regulations ,
Telehealth
On July 7th, the House introduced much anticipated bipartisan telehealth legislation. The Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) and co-sponsored by Representatives Gregg...more
7/14/2015
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Patients ,
Pending Legislation ,
Physicians ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
In This Issue:
- Medicare Releases Set of Payment Rules, Physician Fee Schedule on Deck
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Congressional Initiatives
- Other...more
7/8/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Ebola ,
ESRD ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Payment Reform ,
OIG ,
OPPS ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Premiums ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reinsurance ,
SAMHSA ,
Unique Device Identifiers
In This Issue:
- SGR Bill Facing Final Hurdles This Week
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Congressional Initiatives
- Other Health Care...more
4/14/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
ICD-10 ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Physician SGR Formula ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Revenue Growth
In This Issue:
- Permanent Medicare Doc-Fix Entering Critical Week
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Congressional Initiatives
- Other...more
In This Issue:
- Permanent Medicare Doc-Fix Could be a Reality, CHIP Reauthorization May Be Lynchpin
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
-...more
In This Issue:
- King v. Burwell before the Supreme Court and the Potential Congressional Response
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Congressional...more
3/8/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Healthcare ,
HELP ,
Infectious Diseases ,
IRS ,
King v Burwell ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
Section 340B ,
Subsidies ,
Ways and Means Committee
In This Issue:
- President Obama Releases FY2016 Budget Proposal
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Congressional Initiatives
- Other Health...more
In This Issue:
- SGR Replacement Odds Not Likely to Increase Ahead of Upcoming Deadline
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Congressional...more
In This Issue:
- 21st Century Cures Remains Top Bi-Partisan Priority for 2015
- Senate Passes Critical Access Hospital Direct Supervision Bill
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other...more
11/25/2014
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Ebola ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pending Legislation
In This Issue:
- CMS Releases Final Medicare Payment Rules
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Other Congressional Initiatives
- Other Health...more
In recent months, as the conversation about reforming the health care system has shifted to achieving greater delivery system efficiencies, cost containment, and patient satisfaction, the role of health care...more
9/5/2014
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
FSMB ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
ICD Codes ,
ICD-10 ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
PHSA ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Telemedicine
In This Issue:
- Brady Unveils Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Bill
- Possible Litigation Threat Adds to Considerations in Containing Drug Costs
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal...more
In This Update:
- CMS Getting New Leadership Roles
- Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
- Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- Other Congressional and State Initiatives
- Other...more