Billy Wynne

Agency Releases Updated FY 2025 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Rates Due to Court Decision The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final action with comment period (IFC) in response to an appellate court decision in Bridgeport Hosp. v. Becerra.  What it is. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the…

2024 Election Outlook and 2025 Congressional Preview In an era of political division, the upcoming November elections have high stakes, and the outcome is impossible to predict. The polls have consistently shown Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to be running dead even with expectations that a handful of states, or even…

ASTP/ONC Finalizes the 2024-2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC) released its final 2024-2030 Federal Health Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH Act) required the development of the Strategic Plan in collaboration with various federal agencies…

Medicare Advantage and Part D Premium to Remain Stable in 2025; Agency Indicates Broad Participation in Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the average premiums and plans choices for Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. This follows CMS’s previous announcement of the…

Sens. Wyden and Warner Introduce Legislation that Would Require HHS to Enforce Minimum Cybersecurity Standards for HIPAA-Covered Entities and Business Associates Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Health Infrastructure Security and Accountability Act (S.5218) in response to a surge in cyberattacks on health care organizations (one-page summary, section-by-section, bill text). These…

Senator Markey Introduces AI Civil Rights Act Aimed at Regulating Algorithmic Decision-Making and Reducing Bias Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Civil Rights Act (S.5152) to address the growing concerns around AI bias and its impact on civil rights. The bill aims to implement strict safeguards on the use of algorithms in…

USICH Releases Federal Homelessness Prevention Framework; Requests Information on Data-Driven Community Practices That Prevent Homelessness The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released its first-ever federal homelessness prevention framework, Ending Homelessness Before It Starts, developed in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies (press release, one-page summary). The…

Senate Democrats Discuss Ongoing Threats to Women’s Health Care The Senate Finance Committee convened a hearing titled “Chaos and Control: How Trump Criminalized Women’s Health Care.” During the session, Democrats highlighted the escalating threats to women’s reproductive health, emphasizing how recent state-level abortion bans and the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade have…

Novo Nordisk CEO Testifies Before Committee on Wegovy and Ozempic Prices The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee convened a hearing with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Novo Nordisk, Lars Jorgensen, to discuss the high prices for its diabetes and obesity medications, Ozempic and Wegovy. The Senators acknowledged the transformative nature of…

Fair Housing Grant Funding The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released several funding opportunities under the Fair Housing Initiative. The Fair Housing Initiative funds non-profits and other fair housing organizations to carry out education, outreach, and enforcement activities to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices. The funding opportunities are noted below: Private Enforcement Initiative:…