The Senate Finance Committee convened a hearing to examine President Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra gave testimony outlining key points of the budget, including achievements such as increasing access to health insurance and addressing prescription drug costs through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Secretary Becerra emphasized the Administration’s commitment… (Colocho, March 15, 2024) #Affordable Care Act, #Budget, #Costs, #Drug Pricing, #Food and Drug Administration, #Graduate Medical Education (GME), #Health Equity, #Health Information Technology, #Hospitals, #Insurance Coverage, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Physicians, #Prevention, #Public Health, #Skilled Nursing Facilities, #Telehealth, #Women’s Health, #Workforce

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report that examined the appeals and grievances data related to Medicaid Managed Care plans, aiming to assess their effectiveness in protecting enrollees and ensuring quality of care. With over 70% of Medicaid enrollees receiving services through managed care, GAO has concerns regarding potential financial incentives for plans to deny or limit services. This… (Eisen, March 14, 2024) #Transparency

The House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Health Subcommittee convened a markup of 19 legislative proposals that support patients and caregivers. The legislative proposals cover a range of health-related issues, including Alzheimer’s, maternal and child health, organ transplant discrimination prevention, emergency medical services for children, health care provider protection, poison control centers, traumatic brain injury, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, cancer screening,… (Colocho, March 14, 2024) #Health Equity, #Pediatrics, #Physicians, #Prevention, #Public Health, #Wellness, #Women’s Health, #Workforce

On Thursday, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tom Carper (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the Delivering Unified Access to Lifesaving Services (DUALS) Act of 2024 to promote the integration of care for individuals who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles) (press release; section-by-section). The Senators are members of the Senate Duals Working Group, and… (McClurg, March 14, 2024) #Care Coordination, #Delivery Reform, #Dual Eligibles

The House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Health Subcommittee convened a hearing to discuss bipartisan legislative proposals that support patients and caregivers. The hearing focused on 19 bills, 18 of which are bipartisan, aimed at reauthorizing or creating significant public health programs. Specifically, the discussed bills encompassed bipartisan efforts to enhance access to care, support patients and caregivers, address gaps in… (Colocho, February 15, 2024) #Health Equity, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Pediatrics, #Physicians, #Prevention, #Public Health, #Wellness, #Women’s Health, #Workforce

The House Ways & Means Committee held a hearing on improving access to care at home for rural and underserved communities.The conversation largely focused on telehealth, remote dialysis and infusion, and remote patient monitoring. Representatives from both parties committed to working on possible extensions for the telehealth flexibilities and the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program that originated during the COVID-19… (McClurg, March 13, 2024) #Health Equity, #Hospitals, #Rural Health, #Telehealth

On March 5th, Representative Pallone (D-NJ) and Senator Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure urging the agency to require states to commit to long-term public compliance plans to ensure that they come into full compliance with Medicaid and CHIP eligibility requirements. These plans would address the current mass disenrollments that have occurred during the PHE unwind while… (Joyce, March 12, 2024) #COVID-19, #Transparency

House and Senate committees have made significant strides in addressing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and safeguarding sensitive data from foreign adversaries. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee approved the Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act, surpassing similar bipartisan measures by requiring government contractors to publicly disclose the development and maintenance of federal AI systems. Concurrently, the House Energy… (Colocho, March 11, 2024) #Health Information Technology, #Privacy, #Transparency

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded the range of health care providers eligible for advance payment under federal programs in response to a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a major medical payment clearinghouse owned by UnitedHealth Group (UHG). The move follows pressure from lawmakers and health care provider groups to alleviate disruptions caused by the attack. Initially, HHS… (Colocho, March 11, 2024) #Health Information Technology, #Hospitals, #Physicians, #Privacy, #Transparency

Following House passage on Wednesday, today the Senate passed a health care package that would reauthorize and provide funding increases for several key healthcare programs, restore recent cuts to Medicare payments for physicians, eliminate scheduled cuts to disproportionate share hospitals (DSH) through the end of the year, secure permanent Medicaid coverage for medication-assisted treatment for those struggling with substance use… (Lewis, March 8, 2024) #Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), #Health Equity, #Nutrition, #Physicians, #Women’s Health