The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing on July 17, 2025, to discuss employment benefits for independent workers. The hearing focused on four pieces of proposed legislation to address accessibility, portability, and security of these benefits: Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers Act (S._) Modern Worker Empowerment Act (S._) Association Health Plans Act (S._) Independent Retirement Fairness… (Ray, July 17, 2025) #Coverage Decisions, #Insurance Coverage

The Department of Justice (DOJ) released guidance to implement President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14224, which establishes English as the official language of the United States (press release). This directive revokes President Clinton’s Executive Order 13166, which had previously mandated multilingual access to federal programs for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). The DOJ’s new guidance prioritizes English in all… (Colocho, July 17, 2025) #Health Equity, #Health Information Technology, #Public Health, #Social Determinants of Health

In its June 27, 2025 decision in Trump v. CASA, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court significantly curtailed the authority of federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions – court orders that prevent the federal government from enforcing laws or policies against individuals who are not parties to a lawsuit. The decision stemmed from litigation over an executive order limiting birthright citizenship… (Colocho, July 16, 2025) #Health Equity, #Social Determinants of Health

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule (press release, fact sheet). What it is. CMS’ wide-ranging proposed rule affects payments to approximately 3,500 hospitals paid under the OPPS, including hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and 6,100 ASCs, beginning on… (Slifer, July 15, 2025) #340B, #Ambulatory Surgical Centers, #Hospitals, #Quality, #Transparency

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a webinar to introduce the Rapid Cycle Innovation Program (RCIP), a voluntary initiative where CMS model participants (like ACO REACH, KCC, and PC Flex ACOs) can vote on and/or host rapid randomized controlled trials (RRCTs) to test specific care delivery strategies aimed at improving model performance and patient outcomes. Slides from… (Colocho, July 15, 2025) #Accountable Care Organizations, #Health Information Technology, #Hospice, #Prevention

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule (press release; fact sheet; MSSP fact sheet; which addresses an array of policies under Medicare Part B and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) Quality Payment Program (QPP). What it is. CMS’ major proposed rule affects payments to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants,… (McClurg, July 14, 2025) #Care Coordination, #Demonstration Programs, #Drug Pricing, #Health Equity, #Physicians, #Prevention, #Primary Care, #Program Integrity, #Quality, #Telehealth

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing focused on cybersecurity challenges in the health care sector. Witnesses emphasized critical concerns including the termination of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC), the looming expiration of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, uncertainty surrounding the Biden-era HIPAA Security Rule update, and the implications of recent… (Colocho, July 14, 2025) #Health Information Technology, #Privacy, #Transparency

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, H.R. 1) was signed into law on July 4, 2025 and includes significant changes to Medicaid ranging from limitations on provider taxes utilized to fund the state portion of Medicaid financing to limitations on enrollment such as new Medicaid work requirements and a doubling of the frequency of Medicaid redeterminations for the Medicaid… (Joyce, July 11, 2025) #Accountable Care Organizations, #Affordable Care Act, #Budget, #Care Coordination, #Chronic Diseases, #Community Health Centers, #Cost-Sharing, #Demonstration Programs, #Health Equity, #Hospitals, #Long-Term Care, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Pediatrics, #Primary Care, #Skilled Nursing Facilities, #Women’s Health

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 12-11 along party lines to advance Dr. Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Monarez was praised by Republicans for her commitment to transparency and science-based guidance during the Committee’s confirmation hearing last month (Impact Health summary). Chair Bill Cassidy… (Colocho, July 9, 2025) #Chronic Diseases, #Coverage Decisions, #Public Health

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Trump Administration is rescinding a previous interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) made under the Clinton Administration in order to prevent access to federal public benefits for non-citizens. In the notice, HHS argues that the previous interpretation improperly limited PRWORA’s intended scope and allowed… (Marceno, July 10, 2025) #Health Equity, #Public Health, #Social Determinants of Health