Billy Wynne

States Reinstate Coverage for Nearly Half Million Children and Individuals Disenrolled Due to Auto-Renewal Issues; 29 States and DC Are Working on Reinstating More The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that nearly 500,000 children and other individuals who were improperly disenrolled from Medicaid or CHIP will regain their coverage, as a result…

Departments Propose IDR Administrative Fee Amount and Methodology, Certified IDR Entity Fee Ranges The Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (HHS) (the Departments) released a proposed rule to establish the independent dispute resolution (IDR) administrative fee amount and methodology, and the certified IDR entity fee ranges for single and batched determinations. The…

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $600 Million in Awards for COVID-19 Test Manufacturing and the Re-Opening of COVIDTests.gov; Free Tests Available for Households Beginning September 25 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), announced it is investing $600 million in 12 U.S. COVID-19 test manufacturers and reopening…

Subcommittee Discusses Home Health; Expresses Concern About Payment and Access The Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Health Care held a hearing titled, “Aging in Place: The Vital Role of Home Health in Access to Care.” Senators and witnesses were very concerned that people are not able to begin home health treatment, even if they receive…

Information Requested on Challenges to the Development of Cell and Gene Therapies; Comments Due Dec. 13 The Food and Drug Administration issued a request for information (RFI) on the critical scientific challenges and opportunities to advance the development of individualized cellular and gene therapies (CGTs). The agency notes that an improved understanding of the molecular…

OIG Finds that SAMHSA’s Policies for Awarding and Monitoring CCHC-E Grants Were Not Adequate The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) policies and procedures for awarding Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansions (CCHBC-E) grants. In…

Agency Issues Final Rule on Streamlining Medicaid; Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Determination and Enrollment Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule to streamline enrollment and retention in Medicare Savings Program (MSP) coverage (press release; fact sheet). This final rule is intended to leverage data from other programs and eliminate…

CMS and HRSA Announce Organ Transplant Affinity Group Action Plan The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the action plan for the Organ Transplant Affinity Group (OTAG).OTAG is a collaboration between CMS and HRSA that seeks to drive improvements in donations, clinical outcomes, system improvement,…

GAO Advises HHS to Protect Against Political Interference The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing safeguards that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies could take to protect against political interference. GAO has previously made recommendations to HHS and its agencies about preventing political interference, and uses this report to examine further…

House E&C Health Subcommittee Members Seek Bipartisan Solutions to Address Drug Shortages The House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee convened a legislative hearing to consider five pieces of proposed legislation to address the drug shortage crisis. The hearing featured witnesses from the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, Healthcare Supply Chain Association, Healthcare Distribution Alliance,…