The House Ways & Means (W&M) Committee advanced a series of bipartisan and Republican-led health care and oversight bills focused on Medicare reimbursement reform, expanding access to care, strengthening program integrity, and recovering fraudulent pandemic-era payments. The package included proposals to expand Medicare coverage for pharmacist-provided respiratory services, stabilize physician reimbursement, support home dialysis patients, strengthen oversight of hospice providers… (Eisen, May 22, 2026) #Durable Medical Equipment, #Prescription Drugs

A discussion draft of Medicare physician payment reform legislation led by Reps. John Joyce (R-PA), Greg Murphy (R-NC) and Kim Schrier (D-WA) has been circulated by Politico. The bill would enact several reforms that doctors have been requesting for years, including: Increasing primary care payment; Providing an inflationary update to physician payment tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI); Increasing the budget neutrality threshold;… (McClurg, May 22, 2026) #Physicians, #Primary Care, #Quality

House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) sent a letter to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) raising concerns about significant upward revisions in Medicare Part D spending included in CBO’s Budget and Economic Outlook: 2026 to 2036. The lawmakers argue that this revision is… (Colocho, May 21, 2026) #Costs, #Medicare Part D, #Prescription Drugs

The House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Health Subcommittee convened a hearing to discuss the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), and potential payment reforms. Below are takeaways from the relatively bipartisan member discussion: Members from both parties and the witnesses broadly agreed about the need to increase primary care payment, provide inflationary updates to physician payment… (McClurg, May 21, 2026) #Physicians, #Primary Care, #Quality

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released an evaluation examining how vertical integration in Medicare Part D affects sponsor drug costs, pharmacy reimbursement, and enrollee cost sharing. The review was prompted by growing concerns regarding the concentration of the Part D market among vertically integrated organizations that combine Part D sponsors, pharmacy… (Eisen, May 20, 2026) #Medicare Part D, #Prescription Drugs

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Reps. Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA), along with 24 other Senate Democrats, introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to disapprove the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model that tests the use of technology-enabled prior authorization for a select set of services in Traditional Medicare. The announcement comes after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a determination that WISeR… (McClurg, May 20, 2026) #Artificial Intelligence, #Health Information Technology

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a reorganization of its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), restructuring the office into three distinct divisions focused on Conscience and Religious Freedom, Civil Rights, and Health Information Privacy, Data, and Cybersecurity. HHS says the changes are intended to strengthen enforcement of conscience protections, religious liberty, civil rights laws, and health information… (Colocho, May 19, 2026) #Privacy, #Public Health, #Workforce

President Trump announced a major expansion of TrumpRx.gov, the Administration’s direct-to-consumer prescription drug pricing platform, significantly broadening the program beyond its initial launch focused on high-cost brand-name medications subject to the Administration’s Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) agreements. According to the White House fact sheet, TrumpRx will now include more than 600 generic medications, with the Administration describing the effort as a “historic… (Colocho, May 18, 2026) #Costs, #Drug Pricing, #Generic Drugs, #Prescription Drugs, #Transparency

At the first meeting, the Healthcare Advisory Committee (the Committee) quickly moved through its agenda with little substantive discussion. The key takeaway is that HAC will conduct its work through six working groups: MAHA by Improving Wellness & Preventing Chronic Disease Reducing Administrative Burden Deploying Real-time Data Improving Care for Vulnerable Populations Strengthening Medicare Advantage Crushing Fraud, Waste, & Abuse… (Llamas, May 18, 2026) #Delivery Reform, #Insurance Reform, #Medicare Advantage

Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued an order that blocked a federal appeals court ruling from the Fifth Circuit that would have restricted the mailing of mifepristone. The order, issued shortly after a prior administrative stay expired (IHPP Summary), granted a stay, which keeps the current rules in place while the case continues in the lower courts and may be reviewed… (Eisen, May 15, 2026) #Women’s Health