The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced more than $281 million in grant funding opportunities for 15 programs designed to expand access to behavioral health, substance disorder treatment, and enhance the behavioral health workforce. Previously, the Administration released over $740 million in behavioral health grant funding after months of waiting for Notice of Funding Opportunities to be released by… (Marceno, July 8, 2026) #Grants, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Opioids

House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) released a new report examining the state of maternity care one year after enactment of H.R. 1, arguing that reductions in federal Medicaid funding are contributing to the closure of labor and delivery units and reductions in maternity services nationwide (press release). The report… (Colocho, July 8, 2026) #Coverage Decisions, #Public Health, #Women’s Health

Last week, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released their 48th Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) report, summarizing fiscal year (FY) 2025 merger enforcement activity and providing data on the agencies’ administration of the Premerger Notification Program (press release). The HSR program enables the agencies to identify and review transactions that may substantially lessen competition or… (Eisen, July 7, 2026) #Ambulatory Surgical Centers, #Home Health, #Hospice, #Hospitals

Today, Reps Scott Peters (D-CA) and John Joyce (R-PA) introduced the Strengthening the Exercise of Controls and Upgrading Requirements for Efficiency (SECURE) 340B Act (press release), which aims to modernize the 340B program through increased transparency and specified responsibilities for the expanded range of participating entities. Increasing transparency of the use of contract pharmacies by requiring registration for each contract… (Slifer, July 6, 2026) #340B, #Drug Pricing, #Program Integrity

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a proposed policy statement seeking public comment on how Section 5 of the FTC Act applies to AI systems that produce outputs manipulated to advance undisclosed ideological or policy objectives rather than providing users with the most accurate or objective responses (press release). The proposal reflects the Trump Administration’s broader AI policy agenda and… (Colocho, July 6, 2026) #Artificial Intelligence, #Transparency

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule (press release, fact sheet). What it is. CMS’ wide-ranging proposed rule affects payments to approximately 3,500 hospitals paid under the OPPS, including hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and 6,400 ASCs, beginning on… (Marceno, July 2, 2026) #340B, #Costs, #Critical Access Hospitals, #Hospitals, #Prescription Drugs, #Program Integrity

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), along with 44 Democrat representatives, introduced the Saving Medicare Enrollees from Deceptive Insurers and Creating Ample Resources for Everyone (Saving MEDICARE) Act to address Medicare Advantage (MA) payments and increase oversight (press release, fact sheet). Risk Adjustment: The bill would exclude the following diagnosis from risk adjustment and direct the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to… (Slifer, July 2, 2026) #Medicare Advantage, #Program Integrity, #Risk Adjustment

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) proposed rule (press release, fact sheet). What it is. The proposed rule updates Medicare payment policies and quality reporting requirements for home health agencies (HHAs) beginning January 1, 2027, and includes proposals related to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP), the… (Colocho, July 1, 2026) #Home Health

Today, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) convened a hearing on direct contracting between employers and health care providers. The hearing demonstrated the partisan differences over how to lower health care costs, with Republicans supporting employer-driven solutions like direct contracting and Democrats pushing for more government intervention. The hearing featured testimony from the… (Llamas, July 1, 2026) #Hospitals, #Insurance Coverage

The House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee convened a hearing with Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The hearing focused on OMB’s role in executing federal spending, overseeing grantmaking and apportionments, managing workforce and agency restructuring, and implementing executive branch fiscal priorities under the Trump administration. A central theme throughout the hearing was… (Eisen, June 30, 2026) #Budget