Billy Wynne

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Healthcare Cybersecurity by Improving Collaboration Between CISA and HHS and Providing Resources for Cyber Threat Defense Recently, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), and Angus King (I-ME) introduced the bipartisan Healthcare Cybersecurity Act (S.4697) to address the growing cybersecurity threats in the healthcare and public health sectors. The…

FNS Announces $14.3 Million in Farm to School Grant Funding The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced that USDA is awarding $14.3 million in funding for 154 Farm to School grant projects in 43 states, the largest investment in the program to date. These grants are intended to help school food authorities collaborate with local food…

Part Two Final Guidance and Model Communication Materials for the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan Released The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final part two guidance for the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (M3P), which provides Part D enrollees the option to pay out-of-pocket (OOP) prescription drug costs in monthly payments over the…

TEP Nominations Sought to Refine ESRD QIP Scoring Methodology; Due July 26 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking nominations for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to refine the scoring methodology for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP). This program assesses and incentivizes the quality of care dialysis facilities…

Senate Commerce AI Hearing Reaffirms Urgent Need for Federal Privacy Legislation Amidst Partisan Divides The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation convened a full committee hearing to examine the need for federal privacy legislation in light of rising concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) exacerbating consumer harms. The hearing marked a significant move by the…

Making Sense of the New Landscape for Health Policy After Recent Supreme Court Decisions A series of recent Supreme Court decisions has reshaped the regulatory landscape, further shifting power away from the executive and legislative branches to the judiciary branch. Taken together, the decisions intensify an ongoing trend of lawsuits challenging administrative agency actions. These…

House Appropriations Committee Advances FY 2025 Appropriations Along Party Lines Today, the House Appropriations Committee held a markup session for three fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations bills covering labor, health and human services, education, transportation, housing and urban development, and agriculture, rural development, and food and drug administration and revised subcommittee allocations. All bills were…

Senate Special Committee on Aging Discusses Efforts Towards Health Care Transparency, Lowering Costs, and Empowering Patients The Senate Special Committee on Aging convened a hearing to examine how Congress can work to increase health care price transparency and lower costs for Americans. Witnesses included several health policy experts. Key Takeaways Political Landscape. Republicans and Democrats…

HTI-2 Proposed Rule to Advance Interoperability and Improve Information Sharing Released The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), released the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability (HTI-2) proposed rule (press release, fact sheets). What is…

CY 2025 MPFS Proposed Rule Cuts Payment by -2.8%, Includes Proposals to Pay for Advanced Primary Care, Permanently Extend Audio-Only Telehealth, and Prepay MSSP ACOs for Shared Savings; Comments Due Sept. 9 Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule (press…