Billy Wynne

CY 2026 MPFS Final Rule Increases Payment by 3.77% for QPs and 3.25% for Non-QPs; Controversial Efficiency Adjustment, Skin Sub, and Site of Service Payment Differential Policies Finalized The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule (press release; fact sheet; MSSP fact sheet; which addresses an array of…

Federal Judge Orders the Trump Administration to Use Emergency Funds to Pay for SNAP; Another Judge Requires the Administration to Detail Plans by November 3 Today, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration’s suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing government shutdown was unlawful, issuing separate but related orders that…

Agency Finds CMS’s Special Focus Facility Program Fails to Deliver Lasting Nursing Home Quality Improvements The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Specialty Focus Facility (SFF) program, designed to improve care in the nation’s poorest-performing nursing homes, has…

Committee Discusses US Leadership in Biomedical Innovation, Members Highlight Need for Change to FDA Regulatory Frameworks The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing to discuss the future of biotechnology and the steps needed to maintain U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation. The hearing focused on ensuring continued innovation and increased competitiveness in…

Pregnant Women Experience Medical Neglect in ICE Detention; Letter to Senate Committees Urges ICE to Follow Federal Directives to Protect Pregnant, Postpartum and Nursing Individuals  An October 22 letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a range of Senate committees including the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) indicates that pregnant women are…

Draft Guidance Updated on Demonstrating Biosimilarity to Accelerate Development; Provides New Framework Where Comparative Efficacy Studies are not Needed The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new draft guidance to accelerate development of biosimilars by addressing the necessity of comparative efficacy studies (press release, fact sheet). This action is pursuant to President Trump’s executive order…

CFPB Issues New Interpretation Affirming Broad Federal Preemption Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act; Would Block State Efforts to Bar Medical Debt From Credit Reports The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an interpretive rule reaffirming that the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) generally preempts state laws that address broad areas of credit reporting, consistent…

Democrats Call on CMS to Open Window Shopping for the Marketplace A group of 28 Democratic senators led by Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter calling on the Administration to immediately open “window shopping” ahead of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace open enrollment. Typically, the Centers…

Senate Special Committee Explores Shoppable Services and Price Transparency to Improve Competition in the Healthcare Market The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to discuss shoppable services and their effects on healthcare costs and outcomes. The hearing focused on ways that price transparency increases consumer choice and therefore introduces competition into the healthcare market.…

Agency Says It Cannot Use Contingency Funds for SNAP During Shutdown and States Will Not Be Reimbursed; Will Continue to Fund WIC The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) circulated a memorandum obtained by reporters saying that it cannot use contingency funds to pay for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November and…