This Week in Washington: House Ways and Means Committee marks up healthcare bills related to new technologies and coverage for weight loss drugs; CMS releases CY2025 Home Health and End-Stage Renal Disease PPS proposed rules;...more
On May 28, 2024, Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) introduced the “340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-Net (ACCESS) Act.” This legislation is the latest bill introduced in the House attempting to clarify...more
This Week in Washington: Senate Finance Committee holds hearing on AI use in healthcare; CMS makes corrections to 2024 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment Rates; House passes ban on QALYs....more
2/13/2024
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Medicaid ,
OCR ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
SAMHSA ,
Section 340B
This Week in Washington: House Energy and Commerce subcommittees look at role of AI and CDC respiratory disease preparedness; FDA releases final rule on prescription drug advertisements....more
This Week in Washington: House and Senate pass continuing resolution; House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee reports out 21 healthcare bills; Senate Finance Healthcare Subcommittee holds hearing on telehealth...more
11/21/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Telehealth
This Week in Washington: House stalls on defense spending bill, but begins negotiations among Republicans on appropriations; Senate was expected to move forward on three appropriations bills, but has now stalled; House to...more
This Week in Washington: Senate Finance Committee reports out Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act; House Ways and Means Committee reports out healthcare bills; Senate Appropriations Committee reports out FY 2024...more
This Week in Washington: Senate Appropriations Committee meets to figure out top-line numbers; Majority Leader Schumer leads Senate in developing a policy response to artificial intelligence; and CMS proposes new Medicare...more
This Week in Washington: FDA funding bill passes House Appropriations Committee, MedPAC and MacPAC release June 2023 report to Congress, RSC budget blueprint brings back premium support concept for Medicare...more
This Week in Washington: Debt-ceiling agreement passes, House Energy and Commerce Committee reports out legislation on site-neutral Medicare payments for certain drugs...more
Both the House and Senate are considering multiple bipartisan bills concerning pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), meaning action is likely this year. However, the timeline and path forward remain unclear, since the two bodies...more
This Week in Washington: HHS Secretary appears before Senate Finance and Senate Appropriations Committees...more
Upcoming Hearings -
March 15 -
Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Hearing: “Examining the Future Path of VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization Program” -
3:30 p.m., Dirksen Senate Building 106...more
This Week in Washington: Workforce issues studied, PBMs under more scrutiny...more
This Week in Washington: House and Senate not in session, U.S. reaches debt-ceiling limit...more
This Week in Washington: 118th Congress begins, House finally chooses Speaker...more
1/10/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
HRSA ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Rules
Congress -
The House and Senate are in recess for Memorial Day.
House -
Rep. Underwood Leads 26 Democratic House Members in Letter Calling for Measures to Lower Healthcare Costs to be Included in Reconciliation...more
6/1/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Medicaid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Skilled Nursing Facility
This Week in Washington: President Biden Signs Omnibus Appropriations Package into Law to Fund the Federal Government Through FY 2022...more
Upcoming Hearings/Markups -
January 11 -
Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee Hearing: “Addressing New Variants: A Federal Perspective on the COVID-19 Response” 10:00 a.m....more
Congress -
House -
House Passes Reconciliation Package -
On Nov. 19, the House passed the $1.7 trillion reconciliation package with a vote of 220-213. Votes came the morning after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)...more
11/23/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules
This week in Washington: Congressional Democrats reach drug pricing agreement; bipartisan infrastructure bill goes to President Biden’s desk with budget reconciliation bill delayed....more
Upcoming Hearings/Markups -
November 2 -
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Hearing: “Next Steps: Examining Plans for the Continuation of the Department of Veterans Affairs...more
11/2/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Rules
Upcoming Hearings/Markups -
October 26 -
House Education and Labor Committee, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services Hearing: “Protecting Lives and Livelihoods:...more
This week in Washington: Reconciliation delayed; short-term debt ceiling fix passed....more
10/12/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
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 ,
Medicare ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Rules
This week in Washington: Senate passes infrastructure bill; Senate passes budget resolution with reconciliation instructions; Congress enters recess with House members to return Aug. 23....more
8/17/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Final Rules ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GAO ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Skilled Nursing Facility