The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule implementing three Medicare provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA 2026): reducing generic drug cost sharing for certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries, strengthening Medicare Advantage (MA) provider directory requirements, and establishing new compensation and transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in Medicare Part D (press release; fact… (Colocho, October 16, 2026) #Medicare Advantage, #Medicare Part D, #Pharmacies, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Prescription Drugs

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) released a request for information (RFI) on reforms to overhaul the long-term care (LTC) system. Feedback and recommendations are due December 18th.   RFI on Policy Options The RFI presents a non-exhaustive list of policy options and issues informed by listening sessions conducted earlier this year following the release of a Dear… (McClurg, October 16, 2026) #Long-Term Care

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its latest quarterly Recent Publications and Work in Progress report, showing that the agency’s legislative workload continued to grow through the end of September. As of September 30, CBO had 395 bills awaiting cost estimates, up from 353 at the end of June. Nearly all of the pending bills have already been ordered reported… (Colocho, October 15, 2026) #Insurance Coverage, #Medicare Part D, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Prescription Drugs, #Prevention, #Privacy, #Transparency

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the new HHS Health Center Healthy Lifestyle Commitment for health centers to voluntarily commit to putting nutrition, prevention, and healthy living at the center of patient care. The commitment encourages health services supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to implement evidence-based practices that support the following: Prioritizing prevention and… (McClurg, October 15, 2026) #Community Health Centers, #Public Health

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the Rare Disease Framework Initiative to develop a more consistent, flexible and tailored approach to reviewing drugs and biologics for rare diseases. The initiative seeks to align regulatory expectations with the realities of rare disease development, including small patient populations, limited understanding of disease progression and challenges generating traditional clinical trial evidence. According… (Colocho, October 14, 2026) #Food and Drug Administration, #Prescription Drugs

Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule restricting federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for gender-affirming care took effect. The rule prohibits federal Medicaid matching funds from covering specified gender-affirming services, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical interventions, for Medicaid enrollees under age 18 and CHIP enrollees under age 19 when provided… (Eisen, October 13, 2026) #Health Equity