Billy Wynne

Administration Details Actions to Promote Educational Opportunity and Diversity in Colleges and Universities Following SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision President Biden announced a series of actions to promote educational opportunity and diversity in colleges and universities following the Supreme Court’s rejection of affirmative action last week. The Administration considers this recent Supreme Court decision, which ruled…

Agency Issues Proposed Remedy for 340B Drug Payments for CY 2018-2022; Comments Due September 5 Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that describes the agency’s proposed actions to remedy the payment for 340B drugs for calendar years (CYs) 2018 through 2022 (press release).  What is it. In June 2022, the Supreme Court…

Proposed Rule Limits Availability of Short-Term Plans, Tightens Rules on Fixed Indemnity Insurance; Comments Due September 11 The Department of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (Departments) released a proposed rule to ensure short-term, limited duration insurance (STLDI) and fixed indemnity benefits coverage do not undermine consumer protections and requirements under the Affordable Care…

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, HHS, and Treasury issue RFI Regarding Medical Payment Products and Consumer Protections in Health Care; Comments Due on Sep. 5 The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Treasury issued a request for information (RFI) on high-cost specialty financial products used…

New ASPE Report Estimates Medicare Beneficiary Out-of-Pocket Savings Due to IRA Policies The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report on the projected impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Medicare Part D out-of-pocket (OOP) spending.  This is part of a series of actions from the Biden…

Feedback Requested on Bipartisan Discussion Draft of 2023 PAHPA Reauthorization; Due July 10 The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee unveiled and are seeking feedback on a bipartisan discussion draft of the 2023 Reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (press release). Public comments are due July 10.   Policy Outlook. Chair…

Agency Estimates CY 2024 Home Health Agency Payments to Decrease by 2.2 Percent; Comments Due Aug. 29 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the cycle year (CY) 2024 home health prospective payment and rate update proposed rule (fact sheet). What it is. The proposed rule outlines payments policies applying to home health…

Guidance: Possible FMAP Reductions for Unwinding Report Noncompliance Applies July 1 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance explaining how the agency will apply the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) reduction to states that fail to meet reporting requirements as a part of the Medicaid continuous enrollment unwinding. CMS will review state-reported…

Department Issues RFI on Draft Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation; Comments Due July 30 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) issued a request for information (RFI) inviting input on the Draft HHS 2023 Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation. HHS aims to…

Department Releases Physical Activity Guidelines Midcourse Report; Shares Evidence-Based Strategies for Increasing Physical Activity Among Older Adults The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Implementation Strategies for Older Adults,” focusing on evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity among adults aged 65 years and older. The…