Billy Wynne

Final Listening Session on Ways to Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable Convened; Features Legislative Proposals to Curb Anticompetitive Behaviors  Today, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) convened its third and final listening session on ways to make prescription drugs more affordable for Americans by promoting competition. This session focused on…

Agency Finalizes a 2.6 Percent Payment Increase in the FY 2026 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System Final Rule The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2026 inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule (final rule; fact sheet). What it is. The final rule includes updates…

Agency Finalizes 2.6 Percent Payment Increase for Hospices in FY 2026  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fiscal year (FY) 2026 hospice payment rate update final rule (fact sheet). What it is. The final rule addresses the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for FY 2026, along with…

President Trump Sends Letters to Manufacturers Outlining Actions to Take to Offer Most-Favored Nation Pricing Today, President Trump released a fact sheet detailing that the president sent letters to pharmaceutical manufacturers outlining the steps they must take to bring down prescription drug prices and match the lowest price available in other developed nations, known as…

New Guidance on No Surprises Act Implementation and Limitations on Cost Sharing Under ACA The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury, along with the Office of Personnel Management, issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Part 71 regarding No Surprises Act implementation and limitations on cost sharing under the Affordable Care Act. Last Friday, Sens.…

Agency Convenes “Make Health Tech Great Again” Event; Secures Commitments from 60 Health and Tech Firms and Unveils Voluntary Interoperability Framework During a White House “Make Health Tech Great Again” event, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced commitments from 60 major healthcare and information technology firms, including Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and…

Director of OSTP Speaks About The White House’s AI Action Plan; Focuses on Ensuring American AI Dominance Abroad The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) held a discussion with Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Michael Kratsios about the White House’s artificial intelligence (AI) action plan released last week (Impact…

White House Releases Memo Outlining Advantages of the Rural Funding in Reconciliation Package The White House released a memo outlining additional background information on the purpose and promise of the Rural Health Transformation Program. Congress’s recent budget reconciliation package included the Rural Health Transformation Program as a compromise to address concerns about the impact of…

Agency Releases Drug Use and Mental Health Survey Data and Other Behavioral Health Updates The Trump Administration has recently made several announcements related to behavioral health, detailed below. RFJ Announces Press Conference to Address Opioid 7-OH The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), alongside Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, Deputy…

Agency Requests Public Comment on Gender Affirming Care for Minors, Due September 26 The Federal Trade Commission has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on gender-affirming care (GAC) for minors (press release). The RFI suggests that medical providers, clinics, and advocacy organizations may be “misleading” consumers, particularly minors and their families, by…