340b – DeBrunner & Associates

Federal Health Policy Update for August 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 2-7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House and Senate are both in recess. When Congress returns in September its top priority will be funding the federal government before the fiscal year ends on September 30, likely requiring a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown. Several major health care programs and extenders are set to expire at the end of the fiscal year, including Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allotments, telehealth flexibilities, the Acute Hospital Care at Home [...]

joe2025-08-07T15:29:33-04:00August 7, 2025|340b, Congress, COVID-19, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 31

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 25-31. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House recessed last week and the Senate is still in session. When Congress returns in September its top priority will be funding the federal government before the fiscal year ends on September 30, likely requiring a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown. Several major health care programs and extenders are set to expire at the end of the fiscal year, including Medicaid DSH allotments, telehealth flexibilities, the Acute Hospital Care at [...]

joe2025-07-31T15:04:29-04:00July 31, 2025|340b, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 17

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 11-17. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Proposed Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Regulation for CY 2026 CMS has published its proposed Medicare outpatient prospective payment and ambulatory surgical center payment system rule for CY 2026. Highlights include: A 2.4 percent increase in outpatient rates that is offset by a two percentage point clawback under the 340B final remedy rule, making the actual increase just 0.5 percent. A site-neutral payment policy for the outpatient administration [...]

joe2025-07-17T14:50:40-04:00July 17, 2025|340b, Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care, social determinants of health, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 27 – July 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress/Budget Reconciliation After more than 36 hours of intense lobbying by the administration and House Republican leadership and an all-night legislative session that carried well into Thursday afternoon, the House approved the Senate-passed version of H.R. 1, the reconciliation bill, by a vote of 218-214. Voting was almost entirely along party lines, with all House Democrats voting against it and just two Republicans – Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) and Thomas Massie [...]

joe2025-07-03T16:02:05-04:00July 3, 2025|340b, Affordable Care Act, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

HHS Releases Proposed Budget

The Department of Health and Human Services has released a new, expanded version of its proposed FY 2026 budget. In some areas this version provides more detail than the administration shared in early May when it released a so-called “skinny budget” and some aspects of the budget proposal differ from the May release. Highlights of the most recent proposal include: A reduction of 25 percent, from $126 billion to $94.7 billion, in HHS’s overall discretionary (non-mandatory) spending. The consolidation of HHS’s 28 current operating divisions into 15 divisions. A reduction of $661 million, or 11 percent, in discretionary spending for [...]

joe2025-06-11T12:29:44-04:00June 12, 2025|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 16-22. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress: Reconciliation Early Thursday morning the House of Representatives passed its version of an FY 2025 budget reconciliation bill by a vote of 215-214. The bill underwent a number of changes during the hours before its passage and its health care provisions now include $800 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next ten years. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill, mostly because of the Medicaid cuts, will lead to 8.6 million [...]

joe2025-05-23T10:22:33-04:00May 23, 2025|340b, Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, deficit reduction, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Committee Chair Calls for 340B Changes

In a newly released report, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has pointed to problems with the 340B Drug Pricing Program and suggested ways of dealing with those problems. The report, from the committee’s majority staff, notes that … there are concerns about whether the 340B Program truly benefits low-income and uninsured patients, with some studies suggesting that the 340B benefit does not translate into increased care or lower costs for vulnerable populations. It also outlines potential changes for improving the program, including requiring additional reporting on the use of 340B savings, scrutiny of [...]

joe2025-04-29T16:30:28-04:00April 30, 2025|340b, Congress, Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 24

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 18-24. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House and Senate are in recess until April 28. Upon their return to Washington D.C., committees will begin marking up reconciliation legislation for submission to their respective chambers’ budget committees by May 9. The Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to mark up its bill, with $880 billion in cuts, the week of May 5. The committee is expected to seek nearly $550 billion in cuts to Medicaid spending, with the [...]

joe2025-04-24T14:45:26-04:00April 24, 2025|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 17

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 11-17. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House President Trump signed an executive order titled “Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First” that directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to take steps to lower prescription drug costs for patients. The order addresses several prescription drug-related policies, including: the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program seeking better Medicare prices for drugs not subject to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program accelerating FDA drug [...]

joe2025-04-17T17:14:31-04:00April 17, 2025|340b, Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 14-20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House has rescinded Executive Order 13994 of January 21, 2021, titled “Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats.” In response to this action, CMS rescinded its November 22, 2022 memo “The Importance of Timely Use of COVID-19 Therapeutics,” the purpose of which, according the memo, was “…to highlight the importance of providing timely access to available COVID-19 therapeutics to patients who test positive [...]

joe2025-03-20T16:00:25-04:00March 20, 2025|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|