Today, the Departments of  the Treasury, Labor (DOL), and Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively, the Departments) released proposed rules intended to strengthen parity requirements for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) benefits provided by group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health coverage (press release). The proposed rules amendment regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone… (Llamas, Slifer, Joyce, July 25, 2023) #Mental and Behavioral Health

The House Ways and Means (W&M) Committee introduced H.R. 4822, the Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023, ahead of tomorrow’s markup, which aims to increase transparency for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), health insurance plans, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Major provisions of the bill include the following: Requirements for hospitals and ASCs to make price information on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services… (Slifer, July 25, 2023) #Hospitals, #Insurance Reform, #Medicare Part D, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Transparency

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a series of investments in urban agriculture and food access.  USDA will fund $10.7 million in investments for the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program which will help 1.2 million children gain access to nutritious foods and nutrition education while also supporting local farmers. Additionally, USDA provided $30 million in funding availability for the… (McClurg, July 24, 2023) #Nutrition

Ahead of the Senate Finance Committee markup on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) legislation, several Senators released legislation aimed various PBM practices. Additional details on each bill follows: The Neighborhood Options for Patients Buying Medicines (NO PBMS) Act (bill text, press release) – Sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), the legislation requires Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors to… (Slifer, July 24, 2023) #Pharmacies, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Transparency

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking nominations for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to support the maintenance and evolution of the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings methodology. Details about the TEP follow below. Title: Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings on Care Compare Project overview: The TEP will create a summary of the hospital quality measures publicly reported… (Testa, July 21, 2023) #Hospitals, #Quality

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ’s) Effective Health Care (EHC) Program is requesting public comments on draft key questions related to the management of suicidal thoughts in youth. According to the announcement, the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among children and adolescents is on the rise and many of these occurrences are believed to be preventable through… (Marceno, July 21, 2023) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Prevention, #Public Health

The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care convened a hearing yesterday on the current status of the Organ Procurement and Transplant System (OPTN) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) legislation, The legislation would remove statutory barriers and give the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) the authority to expand competition for the OPTN contract. This hearing also follows… (Lewis, July 21, 2023) #Program Integrity

Amid ongoing concerns about procedural terminations during the Medicaid unwinding period, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provided an update making clear that the agency is taking enforcement actions, as necessary, to ensure states’ compliance with federal renewal requirements. The agency has required multiple states (not specified) to pause certain terminations, reinstate coverage for those terminated inappropriately, and… (Llamas, July 20, 2023) #Coverage Decisions

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) unveiled a sweeping piece of legislation to overhaul the nation’s primary care health system (press release/section by section /text).  The proposal invests $20 billion a year over a five-year period to “expand community health centers and provide the resources necessary to recruit, train, and retain tens of… (Joyce, July 19, 2023) #Community Health Centers, #Graduate Medical Education (GME), #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Nutrition, #Public Health, #Rural Health, #Workforce

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report showing that allocations of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) different with respect to the race and ethnicity of the populations served.The PRF included $178 billion in funds to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency, especially by reimbursing health care providers for expenses… (McClurg, July 19, 2023) #COVID-19, #Health Equity