Yesterday, in National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can continue withholding more than $780 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. The administration had terminated funding for over 1,700 projects following Executive Orders directing the termination of programs that “promote” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and what… (Eisen, August 22, 2025) #National Institutes of Health

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the establishment of a Healthcare Advisory Committee to provide strategic recommendations directly to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz (press release). The committee is created under the President’s Executive Order Establishing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission as an advisory body… (McClurg, August 21, 2025) #Chronic Diseases, #Delivery Reform, #Health Information Technology, #Insurance Reform, #Quality

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Crushing Fraud Chili Cook-Off Competition, a research challenge designed to develop explainable artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools to combat Medicare fraud. The initiative seeks proposals from academic institutions, nonprofits, private sector entities, and research teams based in the U.S. that can create transparent, scalable AI solutions capable… (Colocho, August 20, 2025) #Costs, #Health Information Technology, #Prevention, #Transparency

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new nationwide oversight initiative yesterday aimed at removing ineligible Medicaid and CHIP enrollees by ensuring all enrollees are either U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or have satisfactory immigration status. CMS will provide states with monthly reports identifying enrollees whose citizenship or immigration status cannot be confirmed through federal databases, including the… (Colocho, August 20, 2025) #Health Equity, #Public Health, #Social Determinants of Health

The Department of Justice (DOJ), in partnership with the National Economic Council, launched an initiative to examine state laws that may significantly and negatively affect the national economy or interstate commerce. The effort stems from the Trump Administration’s broader deregulatory agenda, which has emphasized reducing regulatory burdens on businesses and consumers. Building on several recent Executive Orders (EOs), DOJ highlights… (Colocho, August 18, 2025) #Costs, #Drug Pricing, #Hospitals, #Prescription Drugs, #Transparency

Yesterday, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) entitled: “Ensuring American Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Resilience by Filling the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Reserve.” This EO seeks to builds on President Trump’s first term EO on combatting public health emergencies and strengthening national security by ensuring essential medicines, medical countermeasures, and critical inputs are made in the United States through… (Slifer, August 14, 2025) #Prescription Drugs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a listening session to gather industry input on two key priorities: real-time claims processing in Medicare and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) cybersecurity controls. These efforts are part of CMS’s strategy to strengthen Medicare’s digital infrastructure, especially in the aftermath of the 2024 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, which disrupted billing operations for… (Eisen, August 13, 2025) #Health Information Technology, #Privacy

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model. WISeR will implement technology-enabled prior authorization in Original Medicare for a select set of services to help providers steer beneficiaries to safer, higher value care and reduce fraud and waste. Model participants will be companies that perform prior… (McClurg, August 13, 2025) #Demonstration Programs, #Health Information Technology, #Program Integrity

Overview Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have both taken a range of actions recently related to Medicaid. This includes legislation to modify Medicaid changes included in the One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R. 1), a range of state plan amendment (SPA) approvals related to maternal and child health, an announcement this morning regarding continued planning grants to promote continuity of care for individuals… (Joyce, August 11, 2025) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Public Health, #Social Determinants of Health

President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) on Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking to overhaul how federal discretionary grants are reviewed, awarded, and monitored (fact sheet). The EO directs senior political appointees across grant-making agencies to vet funding opportunity announcements and discretionary awards for consistency with Administration priorities and the “national interest,” requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)… (Colocho, August 8, 2025) #Grants, #Health Equity, #Public Health