As the House and Senate returned from August recess, the 116th Congress remained in a political impasse with respect to what they can accomplish before they adjourn in December. Included on their list of priorities is a...more
This year, Congress remains focused on passing legislation to tackle the issue of surprise billing where patients face unexpected and often exorbitantly high bills from out-of-network hospitals or physicians. ...more
Over the next few months, Congress will attempt to pass legislation to tackle the issue of surprise billing where patients face unexpected and often exorbitantly high bills from out-of-network hospitals or physicians. There...more
Health care issues will remain a central focus in Washington throughout 2019. Having gained control of the House following the 2018 mid-term elections, Democrats now have the ability to block President Trump's legislative...more
2/12/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Block Grants ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicare ,
Medicare for All ,
Political Parties ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Repeal ,
Stark Law ,
State Medicaid Programs ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
On Tuesday, July 24, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule intended to clarify the program methodology and reinstate payments under the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) permanent risk adjustment...more
On June 19, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a final rule to expand access to association health plans (AHPs), which allow employers to form groups to collectively purchase health coverage for their employees. ...more
On Friday, May 11, President Donald Trump and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar presented the Administration's long-awaited plan to address drug pricing. The proposed framework, entitled,...more
On October 17, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) announced they had agreed on a proposal for a narrow, short-term individual market...more
On June 22, Senate Republicans released a discussion draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), their companion bill to the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). The legislation, which reforms the Affordable...more
On June 20, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule entitled, "Medicare Program; CY 2018 Updates to the Quality Payment Program." CMS proposes changes for the second year (2018) of the...more
6/26/2017
/ Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
CEHRT ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization (MACRA) ,
MIPS ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Rules ,
Provider Payments ,
Public Comment
On May 4, 2017, the House of Representatives succeeded in passing legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The American Health Care Act (AHCA) now moves to the Senate where its passage is far from...more
On Thursday, April 13, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a long-awaited regulation intended to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual health insurance marketplace. The final rule tracks closely...more
On Thursday, March 9, after two overnight markups (one lasting 18 hours and one more than 27 hours), the House Ways and Means Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 23 to 16 and 32 to 23, respectively, to...more
Wednesday, the Trump Administration released its first proposed regulation seeking to stabilize the individual insurance market – in particular, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance exchange market (or marketplace). Amidst...more
On March 8, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled a new Part B Drug Payment Model that, if implemented, would represent a radical change in Medicare reimbursement for outpatient drugs. The...more