The House Committee on Education and Workforce (Ed & Workforce) Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) convened a hearing that sets the stage for the Committee to further tackle high health care costs in the commercial sector. Democrats and Republicans agree that increasing price transparency will help reduce commercial cosets, but that is where bipartisanship ends. The different… (Llamas, January 11, 2024) #Costs, #Hospitals, #Physicians

On January 11, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held a public meeting at which it considered a series of payment update recommendations to Medicare payment systems in 2025 for inclusion in its March 2024 Report to Congress. These sessions continued conversations from the Commission’s December meeting (Impact summary) and included a vote on the final recommendations. Most of the Commission expressed… (McClurg, Marceno, January 11, 2024) #Home Health, #Hospice, #Hospitals, #Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, #Long-Term Care, #Physicians, #Program Integrity, #Skilled Nursing Facilities

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced a notice of funding opportunity under the State Maternal Health Innovation (State MIH) program (HRSA-24-047).   Purpose. The purpose of the State MIH program is to reduce maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity (SMM) by enhancing access to comprehensive and high-quality maternal care, improving maternal health surveillance and data capacity, and implementing… (Colocho, January 9, 2024) #Health Equity, #Health Information Technology, #Prevention, #Women’s Health

The Task Force on Maternal Mental Health, a subcommittee under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Advisory Committee for Women’s Services (ACWS), is soliciting public input on a series of questions related to the prevention and treatment of maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, including alcohol use, and their associated complications. The Task Force actively… (Marceno, January 8, 2024) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Opioids, #Women’s Health

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a request for letters of nomination and resumes for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that advises Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. MedPAC is made up of 17 commissioners with expertise in health care delivery and financing. The nominations are for three-year appointments beginning in May 2024, subject to renewal. Letters… (McClurg, January 8, 2024) #Delivery Reform, #Insurance Coverage, #Insurance Reform

Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Florida’s Section 804 Importation Program (SIP) application, which will allow the state to import certain prescription drugs from Canada (press release). Background. In 2020, the Trump Administration issued a final rule that would allows states and Indian Tribes to import prescription drugs from Canada into the United States through time-limited SIPs, which require… (Slifer, January 5, 2024) #Food and Drug Administration, #Prescription Drugs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released summaries of state spending plans related to section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). Section 9817 provides a temporary 10 percentage point increase to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services (HCBS). States are expected to use the increased… (Marceno, January 5, 2024) #Home Health, #Long-Term Care, #Workforce

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the cybersecurity of medical devices as directed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. In this report, GAO examines the extent to which relevant non-federal entities are facing challenges in accessing federal support for medical device cybersecurity, how federal agencies have addressed identified challenges, how key agencies are coordinating on medical… (McClurg, January 4, 2024) #Health Information Technology, #Medical Devices

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking public input on issues being discussed at World Health Organization (WHO) negotiations concerning pandemic response strategies. WHO members are currently in talks to establish an international framework for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response to bolster global health structures. HHS released a Notice and Request for Comments regarding Access and Benefit… (Colocho, January 3, 2024) #COVID-19, #Prevention

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a request for nominations to serve as members of the Task Force. The USPSTF is seeking nominees with expertise and national leadership in the following areas: The critical evaluation of research published in peer-reviewed literature and in the methods of evidence review; Clinical prevention, health promotion and primary health care; and Implementation… (Colocho, January 3, 2024) #Insurance Coverage, #Prevention, #Primary Care