The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing on the nutrition programs in the Farm Bill, which must be reauthorized by September 30, 2023. Over 80 percent of Farm Bill Funding goes to nutrition programs which include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Program (TEFAP), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). In addition… (McClurg, February 16, 2023) #Health Equity, #Nutrition

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation convened a hearing to examine pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices and their role in the pharmaceutical supply chain. The following witnesses testified that PBM anticompetitive practices negatively impact beneficiaries and community pharmacies and emphasized the need for greater transparency to shed light on which PBM practices are most detrimental. Dr. Ryan Oftebro,… (Slifer, February 16, 2023) #Pharmacies, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Prescription Drugs

the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Lower Prescription Drug Costs for America, which describes three models the Secretary has selected for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) (fact sheet, FAQs). The models would address drug pricing incentives in Medicare Part… (Slifer, February 14, 2023) #Delivery Reform, #Demonstration Programs, #Drug Pricing, #Prescription Drugs

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing to examine legislation related to addressing the fentanyl crisis, improving cybersecurity protections for the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and prohibiting the use of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) in cost-effectiveness analysis (hearing memo). The discussion signaled some bipartisan interest to advance legislation to reduce the supply of fentanyl, though… (Llamas, February 6, 2023) #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Prescription Drugs

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a proposed rule to update school meal standards to align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 (rule; press release). The rule will impact the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Last year, USDA released transitional nutrition… (McClurg, February 3, 2023) #Nutrition, #Pediatrics

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the early results of the Research to Accelerate Cures and Equity for Children (RACE) Act. The RACE Act was included in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Reauthorization Act of 2017 to facilitate the development of new, safe, and effective drugs to treat children. Effective August 18, 2020, the Act requires… (McClurg, February 2, 2023) #Pediatrics

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on supplemental benefits offered by Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. About 49 percent of Medicare enrollees are enrolled in private MA plans which have the flexibility to offer additional or supplemental benefits not covered under traditional Medicare. These supplemental benefits can include health-related benefits such as dental and vision, new primarily health-related benefits… (McClurg, February 2, 2023) #Dental Health, #Medicare Advantage, #Nutrition

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Contract Year (CY) 2024 Advance Notice for Medicare Advantage (MA) an Part D (fact sheet). What it is. The Advance Notice addresses a wide array of MA and Part D-related policies and includes the estimated net rate update for MA plans. Why it’s important for you. The Advance Notice proposes… (Slifer, February 1, 2023) #Drug Pricing, #Medicare Advantage, #Medicare Part D, #Risk Adjustment

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released two reports on COVID-19 vaccination program efforts. The first report highlights early challenges and areas for improvement within programs, and the second report discusses challenges with federal vaccination data for state and local immunization programs. Challenges to COVID-19 Immunization OIG highlights that the Centers for… (McClurg, February 1, 2023) #COVID-19

On February 13th and 14th, 2023 the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) will meet to examine the requirements for clinical studies submitted for CMS coverage under Coverage with Evidence Development (CED). The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in December (see our note appended below), but CMS pushed back the meeting in response to public comments… (Testa, January 30, 2023) #Coverage Decisions