Over the past week the federal government has released over $740 million in behavioral health grant funding after months of waiting for Notice of Funding Opportunities to be released by the Office of Management and Budget. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced $40 million in grant funding opportunities for substance use prevention services, enhancing the behavioral… (Marceno, June 18, 2026) #Grants, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Opioids

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee convened a markup to consider a bipartisan package of health care legislation focused on expanding access to care, reauthorizing public health programs, supporting medical research, and advancing prescription drug affordability through increased generic and biosimilar competition. The committee favorably reported several bills to the full Senate with broad bipartisan support, including… (Eisen, June 17, 2026) #Generic Drugs, #Public Health

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with a group of Senate Democrats, released a 48-page Request for Information (RFI) outlining potential reforms to lower prescription drug costs, reduce patient out-of-pocket spending, and strengthen U.S. biopharmaceutical innovation (press release). The RFI builds on the drug pricing provisions enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and seeks stakeholder feedback… (Colocho, June 16, 2026) #Costs, #Demonstration Programs, #Drug Pricing, #Generic Drugs, #Medicare Part D, #Prescription Drugs

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a request for information (RFI) to inform implementation of requirements regarding pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) compensation and data collection. BACKGROUND: CMS requests technical input focused on current business practices to inform two specific requirements in Sec. 6224 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA, 2026): restrictions on the remuneration that PBMs and their… (Llamas, June 16, 2026) #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Prescription Drugs

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an audit examining the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) oversight of state-reported Medicaid expenditures on the Form CMS-64, the quarterly report used to claim federal Medicaid reimbursement. The audit assessed whether CMS followed its existing oversight policies and procedures and whether those… (Eisen, June 9, 2026) #Program Integrity

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released its March 2026 Report to Congress, addressing key policy issues related to implementation of the new work requirements, behavioral health, and coverage for vulnerable youth populations. The report includes: (1) a recommendation for transparent monitoring and evaluation of community engagement requirements; (2) recommendations to strengthen protections for automation in Medicaid prior authorization… (Marceno, June 15, 2026) #Coverage Decisions, #Insurance Coverage, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Prevention

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Administration announced that $5 million is available for fiscal year (FY) 2026 to implement tools proven to boost integrity and fight fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The grants are intended to support implementation of the SNAP Fraud Framework and can be used by states to upgrade data analytics, modernize fraud detection tools,… (McClurg, June 15, 2026) #Nutrition, #Program Integrity

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule with comment to strengthen oversight of accrediting organizations (AOs) by addressing conflicts of interest, establishing consistent standards, updating the validation and performance systems (press release; fact sheet). What it is. This rule increases oversight of AOs which survey accredited health care providers and suppliers that participate in federal health care… (McClurg, June 12, 2026) #Hospitals, #Physicians

Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a request for information to gather input on possible future notice and comment rulemaking to revise the “typical employer standard” for the scope of Essential Health Benefits (EHBs). BACKGROUND – The ACA requires EHBs to be equal in scope to the benefits provided under a “typical employer plan.” Under current… (Llamas, June 12, 2026) #Affordable Care Act, #Insurance Coverage, #Insurance Reform

The U.S. Supreme Court is entering the final weeks of its 2025-2026 term, with 20 cases still awaiting decisions. The remaining rulings are expected by late June or early July. Several significant cases have already been decided this term, such as Louisiana v. Callais, which severely restricted protections against racial discrimination in redistricting. Some of the term’s most consequential and… (Joyce, Eisen, June 11, 2026) #Immigration, #Public Health