K&L Gates Triage: An Insider’s Perspective on the Health Care Debate in Washington, DC
Biden Administration Issues Final Reg on Mental Health Parity Requirements McDermott+ is pleased to bring you Regs & Eggs, a weekly Regulatory Affairs blog by Jeffrey Davis. Click here to subscribe to future blog posts....more
Employers must check its employees, contractors and vendors to see if an individual or organization is excluded from participating in federal and/or state programs. While there are a variety of exclusion programs at the...more
On April 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Final Rule (CMS-2439-F), effective July 9, 2024, aimed at advancing healthcare access,...more
House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Holds Legislative Hearing on Improving Medicaid Access. Daniel Tsai, deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS), testified. Members...more
Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies,...more
Last week, the Biden-Harris administration (the Administration) announced a new rule simplifying the process for enrolling in Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Basic Health Program (BHP)....more
On March 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced that it is extending the temporary special enrollment period (the Unwinding SEP)...more
Only a few days remain for stakeholders—which includes drug manufacturers, patients, health care providers, pharmacies and others— to take advantage of a rare opportunity to influence the statutory contours of the 340B Drug...more
Congress Returns Next Week to Face Imminent Funding Deadlines. The Senate will return to session on January 8, and the House will return on January 9. Lawmakers face an immediate time crunch on FY 2024 appropriations, as the...more
NEXT UP: SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON - The House officially has a speaker: Mike Johnson (R-LA). On October 25, Rep. Johnson became Speaker Johnson with a final vote on the first ballot of 220–209. Speaker Johnson, a...more
The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a dramatic rise in the use of telehealth nationwide to deliver health care services to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees. In response to the health crisis, both...more
We are pleased to present our annual End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we present our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. This Part 1 covers year-end health and welfare plan issues....more
Introduction - The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a dramatic rise in the use of telehealth nationwide to deliver services to individuals enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The federal...more
The 340B Drug Pricing Program (the “Program”) allows certain healthcare providers (“covered entities”) to purchase pharmaceuticals from drug manufacturers at discounted rates. Some covered entities do not have an internal...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
Congress was in session for a final week of legislative business before the two-week Independence Day recess. The House brought a small-business-focused healthcare bill to the floor, approving it along party lines....more
On May 10, 2023, HHS announced that many telehealth and teleprescribing flexibilities will remain in place after the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. Congress extended many telehealth...more
Proposed Protections for Patient Data Related to Reproductive Care - On April 12, 2023, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) proposed a new rule to strengthen HIPAA...more
The House held a district work week while the Senate was in session, with plenty of healthcare action at the committee level. The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on barriers to mental health care. The Senate Health,...more
On January 31, 2020, pursuant to Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) determined that a public health emergency (PHE) exists due to the soaring...more
Congress was in session, and it was a busy healthcare week at the committee level, with six hearings focused specifically on health issues. On the House floor, Republicans passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act—a bill that raises...more
With the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) set to end on May 11, 2023, the Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, and Department of Health and Human Services (the “departments”) have published FAQs explaining...more
The White House recently announced that the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) declarations will end on May 11, 2023. These declarations have been in place since the beginning of the COVID-19...more
Social determinants of health (“SDOH”) consider the non-clinical factors that can profoundly impact an individual’s well-being. They are extensive and often overlap, including housing instability, food insecurity, the...more