This week in Washington: Congress moves towards budget reconciliation....more
This week in Washington: President Biden issues important executive orders on healthcare....more
2020 saw the courts continuing to play an important role in health policy with several notable lawsuits related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Several other Trump administration policies were challenged, including Medicare...more
2/2/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Section 1557 ,
Section 340B ,
Take Care Clause
This week in Washington: President Joe Biden begins his term and Congress begins work to confirm cabinet secretaries....more
This week in Washington: Congress passes funding bill for an additional week to come up with full-year spending legislation to avoid a government shutdown....more
This week in Washington: Congress gets organized for next Congress; House passes health care bills; COVID-19 vaccine is the talk of the town....more
11/24/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicare Part B ,
OIG ,
Vaccinations
This week in Washington: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced he is waiting to see who will become the next House speaker before working on another COVID-19 stimulus package; Senate Appropriations Committee releases...more
11/17/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Hospitals ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Medicaid ,
Physicians ,
Trump Administration
This week in Washington: Washington’s focus has been on the presidential and Senate races....more
11/10/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part A ,
Medicare Part B ,
OMB ,
Physicians
This week in Washington: Washington is relatively quiet because of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. Grassley, Hassan Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Transparency and Accountability within the Federal Government...more
This week in Washington: Mnuchin and Pelosi continue discussions for COVID-19 stimulus package....more
House -
Democrats Ask GAO to Investigate Legality of President Trump’s Medicare Drug Gift Cards -
On Oct. 13, House Energy & Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), House Ways & Means Chair Richard Neal (D-MA) and Senate...more
10/20/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B ,
Trump Administration ,
Vaccinations
This week in Washington: Negotiations for COVID-19 stimulus package are ongoing; House and Senate are in recess....more
10/13/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B
This week in Washington: The Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government until Dec. 11 was signed by President Trump; House passes COVID-19 stimulus bill....more
10/6/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Medicaid ,
OMB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
This week in Washington: House passes bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) to avoid government shutdown; Senate set to pass the CR this Tuesday....more
9/29/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Continuing Resolution ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
This week in Washington: The Republican COVID-19 legislative package fails to pass in the Senate; Congress is in negotiations for a continuing resolution to fund the government until 2021....more
This week in Washington: COVID-19 bill negotiations continue; House and Senate remain in district work periods....more
This week in Washington: Senate stays in session this week as negotiations on the COVID-19 package continue, but is not expecting votes; House remains in district work period....more
8/11/2020
/ 1332 Waiver ,
Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Opioid ,
Public Charge ,
SAMHSA ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
This week in Washington: COVID-19 bill negotiations continue.
Congress -
Hearings/Markups -
Senate Committee on Finance: Part 1: Protecting the Reliability of the U.S. Medical Supply Chain During the COVID-19...more
This week in Washington: House passes first set of Appropriations bills; President Trump signs Executive Orders on Prescription Drugs after COVID-19 bill stalled....more
This week in Washington: Both the House and Senate return to session, discussions on the next COVID-19 package begin....more
7/21/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
MedPAC ,
Nursing Homes ,
Telehealth ,
Trump Administration
This week in Washington: The House and Senate are out for a two-week working period until July 17th....more
This week in Washington: Trump administration again attempts to overturn ACA in Supreme Court, House considers legislation to shore up ACA and multiple hearings related to the COVID-19 pandemic....more
6/30/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
HRSA ,
IRS ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Nursing Homes
This week in Washington: Senate begins considering appropriation bills and hearings on COVID-19 and health disparities continue....more
This week in Washington: Senate to hold hearing on unemployment insurance during COVID-19 and will hold a second hearing on going back to school safely. House to hold hearings on COVID-19's disproportionate impact on...more
This week in Washington: House to hold hearing on how governor's are battling the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate planning two hearings on preparing Americans to go back to college safely. ...more