The Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study on Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, examining how managed care plans authorize services for children and how states oversee this process. The EPSDT benefit, mandated by federal law, ensures eligible children receive a comprehensive array of medical, vision, dental, and hearing screenings, as well as necessary treatment… (Eisen, 1/1/70) #Care Coordination, #Pediatrics

Reps. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Buddy Carter (R-GA), and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced the 340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-Net (340B ACCESS) Act, which aims to increase oversight and transparency of the 340B program (press release). Additional details follow. Bill Components – While the legislative text has not been released, the bill features the following: Patient affordability… (Slifer, May 29, 2024) #340B

The House Agriculture Committee convened a markup of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act (H.R. 8467), the House Republicans’ proposal to reauthorize the Farm Bill. There were several areas of disagreement, most notably the provision that would prevent a future Secretary from increasing the value of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is used to determine the benefit level of the… (McClurg, May 24, 2024) #Nutrition

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released 2024 resources for the attestation of compliance with the prohibition on gag clauses on price and quality information in provider agreements (instructions; user manual, and template). Background. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage are prohibited from… (Llamas, May 24, 2024) #Transparency

The Senate Finance Committee convened a hearing to discuss opportunities in the health care system to improve addiction treatment, grow primary prevention, and combat the fentanyl public health crisis. Democrats used the hearing to ask questions about promising treatment approaches and criticize barriers to care such as prior authorization and funding challenges for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Republicans argued… (Marceno, May 23, 2024) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Opioids, #Prevention, #Public Health

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The House Budget Committee convened a hearing to discuss the budgetary effects of increasing health care consolidation and explored policy solutions to enhance competition and reduce health care costs. With bipartisan consensus emerging on critical issues, such as the need to address rising costs and promote competition within the health care sector, Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Ranking… (Eisen, May 23, 2024) #340B, #Costs, #Insurance Reform, #Medicare for All, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Physicians

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced the launch of SUN Programs: USDA’s Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids to address nutrition security during the summer months (press release). These programs offer families various options to ensure their children receive essential nutrition during the summer break from school. The SUN Programs include: SUN Bucks, a new… (Eisen, 1/1/70) #Nutrition, #Wellness

he Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security convened a hearing to discuss food is medicine initiatives. Policy Outlook. Senators from both parties were very supportive of food is medicine programs like medically tailored meals (MTMs) and produce prescription programs. While there are a number of related bipartisan bills, senators did not mention next steps to… (McClurg, May 22, 2024) #Nutrition

The Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing to examine competition in the prescription drug market, focusing on ensuring affordable and accessible medications. The Committee scrutinized with experts and patient advocates the range of tools used by brand-name drug manufacturers to delay the entry of generic and biosimilar drugs, such as patent thickets, product hopping, and “pay-for-delay” settlements. Committee members debated… (Colocho, May 22, 2024) #Biosimilars, #Drug Pricing, #Food and Drug Administration, #Generic Drugs, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Transparency

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), announced a Special Emphasis Notice (SEN) for the Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology (Health IT) funding opportunity for fiscal year 2024. This initiative seeks applications for projects in two specific areas: (1) Developing innovative methods to… (Colocho, May 20, 2024) #Care Coordination, #Grants, #Health Information Technology