Billy Wynne

Nominations for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Due March 15 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) issued a request for nominations to serve as members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The USPSTF is an independent group of medical experts that evaluates and makes evidence-based recommendations on preventive health care services like…

Chair Wyden Calls on Hospitals, Providers to Protect Access to Emergency Abortion Care Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) released a report on the Committee’s investigation into eight hospitals that reportedly denied or delayed emergency reproductive health for pregnant women in potential violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) post-Dobbs (press…

Senate Medicare GME Working Group Releases Draft Legislation With 5,000 Additional Slots Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) released draft legislation (section-by-section; press release) to improve the Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) program and provide new residency slots. What it is. This draft legislation follows the Senate Medicare GME Working Group’s policy…

CMS Releases 2023 National Health Expenditures Estimates: U.S. Health Care Spending Increases 7.5% The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary (OACT) recently released the National Health Expenditures 2023 Estimates, providing a detailed look into U.S. healthcare spending (infographic). In 2023, total health spending reached $4.9 trillion, marking a 7.5% increase…

Agency Announces Michigan, New York, Oklahoma and South Carolina will Participate in the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI/Innovation Center) announced four state Medicaid agencies, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, have been selected for the Innovation in Behavioral Health Model (IHPP Summary). The purpose of…

Draft Medicare Transaction Facilitator Agreements for Dispensing Entities and Manufacturers in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Released; Comments Due January 31 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the draft Medicare Transaction Facilitator (MTF) agreements, which outline the responsibilities of each party that will be engaged in the MTF. CMS provides the…

Commissioners React to Draft Medicare Payment Adequacy and Update Recommendations for 2026 On December 12-13, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held a public meeting at which it considered a series of draft payment update recommendations to Medicare payment systems in 2026 for inclusion in its March 2025 Report to Congress. The Commission expressed support…

Commissioners Explore Challenges and Opportunities in Self-Directed Home and Community-Based Services The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) convened a session focused on self-directed services in Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), which allow individuals with long-term care needs to live independently in their communities. Self-direction is an HCBS delivery model that allows…

Final Rule Issued to Adopt Updated Version of Retail Pharmacy Standards for Electronic Transactions Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule to adopt updated versions of the retail pharmacy standards for electronic transactions adopted under the Administrative Simplification subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996…

Commission Begins New Work on Accountability of Medicaid Managed Care Organizations The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) convened a session focused on the tools available to states to ensure accountability when setting up contracts with Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). The presentation introduced this new topic of work for the Commission, establishing…