The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a second Contract Year (CY) 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program (Part D), Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) final rule to finalize the format of provider directories for Medicare Plan Finder. Additional… (Slifer, September 18, 2025) #Health Information Technology, #Insurance Reform, #Medicare Advantage

Today, the Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee convened a hearing to consider policies to enhance seniors’ access to breakthrough medical technologies. Overall, there was bipartisan support for the bills examined, with most of the discussion focused on the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act and the Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act of 2025…. (Slifer, September 18, 2025) #Coverage Decisions, #Medical Devices, #Prevention, #Public Health

The House Ways and Means (W&M) Subcommittee on Oversight convened a hearing to discuss the tax-exempt status of hospitals. Lawmakers and witnesses discussed concerns about whether current IRS requirements and reporting mechanisms sufficiently ensure that hospitals deliver meaningful services to their communities, especially in rural and underserved areas. Democrats also highlighted the impact of proposed federal health care policy changes… (Eisen, September 16, 2025) #Hospitals, #Rural Health

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing with former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) leaders to discuss recent events at the CDC and implications for child health. The witnesses included the former CDC Director, Dr. Susan Monarez, and Dr. Debra Houry, who was the Chief Medical Officer at the CDC until she resigned when Dr. Monarez was fired…. (McClurg, September 17, 2025) #Pediatrics, #Prevention, #Program Integrity, #Public Health, #Transparency

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report highlighting increased federal Medicaid spending and recommending revisions to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) budget neutrality policy. Section 1115 demonstrations allow states to test new ways of delivering care under the condition that they remain “budget neutral,” meaning federal spending cannot exceed what it would have been under traditional Medicaid…. (Eisen, September 17, 2025) #Health Equity, #Waivers

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program. Congress’s recent budget reconciliation package included the Rural Health Transformation Program as a compromise to address concerns about the impact of the bill on rural hospitals and providers. The program will invest $50 billion in rural hospitals at… (Marceno, September 15, 2025) #Grants, #Hospitals, #Public Health, #Quality, #Rural Health, #Workforce

The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness, held its first hearing of the 119th Congress to review President Trump’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan. The hearing featured testimony from Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), who led the development of the plan (Impact summary). The discussion focused on accelerating U.S…. (Colocho, September 11, 2025) #Health Information Technology, #Privacy, #Transparency

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced that applications are open for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program. For FY 2026, USDA will invest up to $18 million in projects that connect farmers to child nutrition programs for food procurement, agricultural education, and school gardens. UDSA emphasizes that the Trump Administration modified the… (McClurg, September 10, 2025) #Nutrition, #Pediatrics

The House Appropriations Committee advanced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill on a party-line vote after a contentious full committee markup. During the marathon markup, Democrats offered nearly 50 amendments to the bill, and secured the votes for only one health-care-related provision. Introduced by Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), this amendment to… (Eisen, September 10, 2025) #Affordable Care Act, #Budget, #COVID-19, #National Institutes of Health, #Women’s Health

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released a report with its Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy for executive actions to address the causes of the childhood chronic disease crisis as directed by President Trump (press release). What it is. The MAHA Commission, led by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and consisting of other politically appointed… (McClurg, September 9, 2025) #Chronic Diseases, #Nutrition, #Pediatrics, #Prescription Drugs, #Prevention