On June 27, 2024, the Ensuring Access to Breakthrough Products Act of 2024 (H.R. 1691) was marked up and reported out of the House Ways and Means Committee. This action brings Medicare beneficiaries one step closer to timely...more
Declaring that “too often” health plans and health insurance issuers are not complying with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (“MHPAEA”), the U.S. Departments of Labor (“DOL”), Health and Human...more
On July 3, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final guidance on the Drug Price Negotiation Program established by the IRA. CMS showed some willingness to adopt stakeholder suggestions...more
On June 22, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Notice with Comment Period (Notice) proposing a new Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies (TCET) pathway. 88 Fed. Reg. 41,633 (Jun. 27,...more
On March 15, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued initial guidance on the Drug Price Negotiation Program, which was established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on August 16, 2022. The Drug...more
On February 13-14, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a virtual panel of the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) to evaluate changes to the criteria for clinical...more
On February 9, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published two “initial” guidance documents implementing the Medicare Part B and Part D inflation rebate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022...more
On August 7, 2022, the Senate passed the proposed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes a number of significant drug pricing-related provisions. The bill generally revives many of the drug pricing provisions...more
This morning, the U.S. House passed drug pricing legislation as part of the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) (specifically the Rules Committee version available here and the manager’s amendments available here). In prelude to...more
On May 14, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a display copy of a Final Rule (Final Rule) further delaying the effective date of the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) and...more
The U.S. House of Representatives is considering dueling proposals related to drug pricing under Medicaid and Medicare, including the Republican-led H.R. 19, the “Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021” and a reintroduced...more
4/26/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Agenda
On March 17, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a notice in the Federal Register delaying the effective date of the final rule titled, “Medicare Program; Medicare Coverage of Innovative...more
Companies in the life sciences and health care industry, like most companies, navigated unparalleled challenges in 2020. But unlike other industries, they had to do so while simultaneously facing the biggest challenge of all...more
On January 14, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule that, for the first time, adopts a regulatory standard for determining whether a particular item or service is “reasonable and...more
As we begin the new year, we wanted to highlight two final developments from December 2020:
First, on Dec. 27, 2020, the stimulus legislation H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (link), Pub. L. 116‑260...more
1/8/2021
/ Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Financial Stimulus ,
MACPAC ,
MDRP ,
MedPAC ,
New Legislation ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Section 340B
On Tuesday, November 3, 2020, Americans chose the presidency and the makeup of the United States Congress. With the U.S. election now decided, with the exception of the Georgia Senate races, we are delighted to share with you...more
12/29/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Investment ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Presidential Elections ,
Public Transportation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Tax Reform
On December 21, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Final Rule that materially modifies current Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP) regulations, largely finalizing the proposed rule dated June...more
On November 19, leaders of our Life Sciences and Health Care team met for a panel discussion of the impacts on the industry of the 2020 U.S. election. This was the first event in a series of conversations, with other webinars...more
12/1/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Biotechnology ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drug Pricing ,
FDA Approval ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Life Sciences ,
Operation Warp Speed ,
Presidential Elections ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
US Trade Policies ,
Vaccinations
Tuesday, 24 November 2020 -
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to expand the role of the federal government in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, build on the Affordable Care Act, and continue drug...more
11/24/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Clinical Trials ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drug Pricing ,
FDA Approval ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Life Sciences ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Most-Favored Nations ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations
On November 20, 2020, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule (IFR) with comment period implementing a mandatory “Most Favored Nation” demonstration model (MFN Model) to test...more
11/24/2020
/ Biologics ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Medicare Part B ,
Most-Favored Nations ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Reimbursements
President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to expand the role of the federal government in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, build on the Affordable Care Act, and continue drug pricing reform efforts. These actions...more
Life Sciences and Health Care Horizons virtual event series -
The fast pace of innovation in the life sciences and health care industry has reached an all-time high in 2020 as the industry grapples with the new reality of...more
11/9/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Business Disruption ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drug Pricing ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Imports ,
Life Sciences ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Presidential Elections ,
Public Health ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Relations ,
Webinars
On Tuesday, September 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule addressing the Medicare coverage standard and expedited coverage for certain medical devices. If finalized, the...more
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), many state legislatures and state Medicaid programs, and private payers have implemented significant changes to...more
In a late-night announcement on Friday, 1 November, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) gave cancer providers the first look at a possible sequel to the Oncology Care Model (OCM).
...more
11/8/2019
/ Bundled Services ,
Cancer ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Life Sciences ,
Payment Methods ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Request For Information ,
Rulemaking Process