On Jan. 19, 2023, the United States government reached its $31.4 trillion borrowing limit, which was signed into law (P.L. 117-73) by President Joe Biden on Dec. 16, 2021. Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote to...more
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
On August 2, 2019, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (P.L.116-37) (“BBA”) was signed into law. This bill amends the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L.112-25) (“BCA”) by raising discretionary spending caps for FY2020 and FY2021...more
The summer season has arrived in Washington and things are heating up in the halls of Congress. A number of high priority legislative proposals ranging from health care to appropriations to patent reform to defense...more
Rumors are swirling about the terms of President Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget submission to Congress, but one thing is for certain—the request will be at least a month late. This will delay consideration of other core...more
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING - According to Bloomberg Government, contract spending has grown by almost 6% per year over the past five years as federal agencies increasingly rely on government-wide contract vehicles and...more
On Friday, February 9, 2018, President Trump signed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (the “Budget”), a two-year budget which, in significant part, made substantial revisions to Medicare, including the Medicare Advantage (MA)...more
With just one day left before the expiration of the current continuing resolution (CR) that is currently funding federal agencies, House and Senate leaders have announced a two year budget agreement that breaks the spending...more
With less than a month remaining before the December 8 deadline for adopting an appropriations deal and the December 15 deadline to lift the debt ceiling, it is increasingly likely that Congress will once again pass a...more
With the October 1 start of fiscal year 2018 coming closer, the White House, Senate and House remain far apart on the 12 regular appropriations bills that collectively fund the federal government. At this time, all parties...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
Since President Trump's budget proposal was released last month, the budget and appropriations process has proceeded slowly, as Republican budget writers continue negotiations over how to approach modifying the 2011 Budget...more
The federal government is currently operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR) passed last December that extends funding for most federal agencies, programs, and services through April 27, 2017, while maintaining the...more
With the threat of a government shutdown avoided by Congress’ passage of a short- term Continuing Resolution on September 30, Congressional focus has turned to the debt ceiling, the spending caps imposed by the Budget Control...more
House Leadership Elections: Republican House leadership changes remain in flux in the wake of Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) decision to retire and the unexpected delay of the vote to select his successor. House Majority...more
On September 22, 2014, twelve hospitals filed a complaint in a Pennsylvania state court against a Medicare Advantage plan, Highmark, Inc., along with its HMO subsidiary, for implementing a two-percent reduction to the...more
A recent Congressional budget deal, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, would exclude hospitals from sequester relief. Medicare provider payment cuts would be extended through 2023, two years longer than the cuts set by the...more
Pursuant to the requirements of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, on March 1, 2013, President Obama signed an Executive Order reducing the budgetary authority in accounts subject to...more
While the House and Senate Appropriations Committees continue to mark up their respective versions of the FY2014 appropriations bills, this action masks deep divides between the House and the Senate. Both are operating using...more
With no budget framework in place, the House and the Senate are both marching to their own drummers and producing appropriations bills based on spending levels detailed in their respective budget outlines....more
During the coming summer months, Congress will focus its attention on the appropriations process—an annual exercise that, ideally, ends with a determination of funding for the federal government for the following fiscal year...more
A June 3, 2013 letter from CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner to Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) states that the agency does not believe it has any discretion under the Budget Control Act of 2011 to exempt Part B cancer drug...more
March 2013 On March 1, 2013, $85 Billion in automatic reductions in federal spending occurred as mandated by federal law. The automatic budget cuts are known in the parlance of the Beltway as “sequestration.” For issuers of...more
Current reports from Congress suggest that “sequestration” will likely take effect as early as March 1, 2013. The sequestration is a key part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, which requires the federal government to...more
Last week another marketplace deadline came and went, Illinois became the 21st state approved to operate a health insurance marketplace, and U.S. senators pressed the HHS official responsible for the bulk of exchange...more