Billy Wynne

House and Senate Commerce Chairs Unveil Comprehensive Data Privacy Draft Legislation that Would Not Preempt State Health Laws but Includes Private Right of Action The House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) unveiled the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), a draft federal privacy…

CMMI Officials Describe New ACO PC Flex Model During Webinar The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI/Innovation Center) held a webinar to describe the new Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Primary Care Flex (ACO PC Flex) Model that was announced on March 19th (Impact summary). The model includes low-revenue Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs and will…

CY 2025 MA and Part D Policy and Technical Changes Final Rule Includes Provisions to Advance Behavioral Health and Address Broker Compensation The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Contract Year (CY) 2025 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program (Part D) final…

Organizations Discuss Financing Options for Clean Energy Projects The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) held a presentation to discuss the Office’s Catalytic Program on Utilizing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The catalytic program is intended to support health care providers in taking advantage of the tax credits, grants,…

Senate HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health & Retirement Security Explores Corporate Greed in Health Care and Discusses Future Legislation The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security convened a field hearing to examine the impact of private equity (PE) on access to health care, particularly in light of…

OIG Highlights Difficulty in Accessing Behavioral Health Providers Within Medicare and Medicaid The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report addressing the critical shortage of behavioral health providers within the Medicare and Medicaid systems. This shortage is particularly concerning given the significant demand for behavioral health…

Department Releases White Paper on Preventing Drug Shortages; Policy Proposals Include Manufacturer Resiliency Assessment and Hospital Resilient Supply Programs The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a comprehensive white paper aimed at addressing the persistent issue of drug shortages within the nation’s health care system (press release). The paper not only outlines the steps already taken…

CY 2025 MA and Part D Rate Notice Finalizes to Increase Payments to Plans by 3.7 Percent; Implements Final Components of Part D Redesign The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies (press release, fact sheet)…

HHS Announces New Steps to Ensure Health Insurance Coverage During Medicaid and CHIP Renewals The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced new actions to make it easier for people to keep their health coverage as states conduct Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance…

Agency Publishes Revisions to Federal Standards for Gathering Data on Race and Ethnicity; Includes Creation of MENA Category The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (Directive No. 15), which outlines standards for maintaining, collecting, and presenting federal data on race and ethnicity. These revisions, the first since 1997, aim to improve…