Last week, President Biden presented an outline of a $1.75 trillion Build Back Better (BBB) social spending reconciliation framework resulting from months of negotiations with House and Senate Democrats. Congressional...more
11/3/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
Federal Poverty Line ,
FMAP ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Nursing Homes
On Saturday, March 6, 2021, by a vote of 50-49, the Senate amended and approved the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which is reconciliation legislation to provide $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief. The House of...more
3/11/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
COBRA ,
Community Health Systems ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Production Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
FMAP ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
Provider Relief Fund ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
As members of Congress negotiate an end of year agreement on Fiscal Year 2021 federal spending and a potential COVID-19 relief package, there is a strong potential that surprise billing legislation may also be included. On...more
On March 6, 2020, President Trump signed H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (the Act) into law (Public Law 116-123). The legislation, which was introduced on March 4 and...more
On December 17, 2019, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) reintroduced legislation to address the backlog of Medicare appeals cases awaiting review before an...more
1/13/2020
/ Administrative Appeal Office ,
Administrative Appeals ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicare ,
Ombudsman ,
OMHA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) ,
Senate Finance Committee
On October 29, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Eric Hargan announced the official opening of the Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (“HC3”). Deputy Secretary Hargan...more
On September 12, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives approved by voice vote four bipartisan bills to amend various provisions of the Medicare program. A summary of each bill is below....more
On May 2, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) released a discussion draft of the Medicare Long-Term Care Services and Supports (LTSS) Act of 2018, to establish a new LTSS benefit within the...more
At the end of last week, Congress approved, and the President signed into law, a $1.3 trillion spending package, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 or H.R. 1625, finalizing discretionary spending for the 12 annual...more
On October 24, 2017, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to examine HHS public health preparedness for and response to the 2017 hurricane season. The hearing addressed...more
Last week, Senate Republicans scrapped plans to vote on the ACA repeal and replace bill authored by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Senate Republicans had planned to use the budget reconciliation...more
Senate Republicans have been meeting in private to find a path to 50 votes to support legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), following the House passage of the AHCA on May 4. Senate Majority Leader...more
Early in the morning of February 10, 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Senators voted along party lines, 52 to 47, to confirm Rep. Price, an orthopedic...more
On January 24, 2017, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Dr. Tom Price (R-GA) to be Secretary of HHS. The Committee has scheduled a vote for today, January 30, on his nomination. ...more
Last week, Congress took the first step in a process to repeal and replace the ACA by passing S. Con. Res. 3, a Fiscal Year 2017 budget resolution, to instruct congressional health committees to write legislation, known as...more