Billy Wynne

Agency Recommends CMS Revise Budget Neutrality Policy for Section 1115 Demonstration Waivers The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report highlighting increased federal Medicaid spending and recommending revisions to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) budget neutrality policy. Section 1115 demonstrations allow states to test new ways of delivering care under the condition that…

Agency Releases Application for States for the Rural Health Transformation Program; State Applications Due November 5, 2025 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program. Congress’s recent budget reconciliation package included the Rural Health Transformation Program as a compromise to address…

Commerce Subcommittee Hearing Examines Trump Administration’s National AI Strategy; Sen. Cruz Unveils Regulatory Framework for AI and Introduces Proposal for Regulatory AI Sandbox Program within OSTP The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness, held its first hearing of the 119th Congress to review President Trump’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan. The hearing featured…

FNS Opens Farm to School Grants with New MAHA Focus The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced that applications are open for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program. For FY 2026, USDA will invest up to $18 million in projects that connect farmers to child nutrition programs for…

Committee Advances FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education Bill with Continued Partisan Divisions; Amendments Secure mRNA Research Funding and Move to Defund Medicare Prior Authorization Pilot Program The House Appropriations Committee advanced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill on a party-line vote after a contentious full committee markup. During…

MAHA Strategy for Childhood Chronic Disease Includes Research, Policy Reforms, Industry Commitments, and Public Education The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released a report with its Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy for executive actions to address the causes of the childhood chronic disease crisis as directed by President Trump (press release). What it is. The MAHA…

Commissioners Examine Barriers and Policy Considerations to Hospice Access for Patients Requiring High-Cost Palliative Services The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) convened a session to examine access to hospice care and the provision of high-cost services, such as dialysis, radiation, blood transfusions, and chemotherapy, for Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or cancer. Back…

Agency Releases State Health Official Letter on Administering the Continuum of Crisis Services Through Medicaid and CHIP The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent guidance to State Health Officials on how states can best implement the continuum of care for crisis services through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). According to the…

Commissioners Explore The Impact of Increased MA Enrollment on Hospital Finances Today, the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) convened a session on the impact of changes in Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment on hospital finances. In their assessment, staff found that increases in MA enrollment are not associated with a statistically significant change in hospital profit margins but are…

Commission Reviews Context for Medicare Policy Discussions and Recommendations Over the 2025-2026 Meeting Cycle The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) convened a session to discuss a draft of the Commission’s context chapter on Medicare payment policy and financing. Principal Policy Analyst Rachel Burton and Policy Analyst Alexandra Harris detailed that the chapter serves as the…