Congress

House Weighs Hospital Transparency Bill

A new bill in the House of Representatives would require most non-profit hospitals to provide more detailed financial information to the federal government to justify their continued tax-exempt status. The Tax Exempt Hospital Transparency Act, currently working its way through the House Ways and Means Committee, would apply, in general, to non-profit hospitals and hospital organizations with more than 100 staffed beds and more than $100 million in patient revenue. Affected tax-exempt hospitals would be required to report annually on how they have addressed the needs identified in their required community needs assessment – and explain why they are not [...]

joe2026-07-01T12:09:31-04:00July 2, 2026|340b, Congress, hospitals|

Federal Health Policy Update for June 25

Don’t Miss: CMS posts a new presentation on Medicaid eligibility under HR 1 House health subcommittee marks up health care price transparency bills Cassidy proposes 340B bill HRSA announces two maternity-related funding opportunities The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 19-25. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss integrity and fraud risk in state Medicaid programs; witnesses included state Medicaid directors from California, Minnesota, New York, and Ohio. For more information, see the press [...]

joe2026-06-25T17:28:47-04:00June 25, 2026|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for June 11

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 5-11. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Don’t Miss: CMS warns more than 500 hospitals for failing to meet price transparency requirements HHS OIG looks at Medicare Advantage rejections of post-acute services Federal court rejects $100,000 H-1B visa fee HHS RFI seeks new approaches, including AI, for treating addiction CMS creates new office to help with tech modernization Congress Some Republican members of Congress continue to plan for a third party-line reconciliation bill to focus on health care affordability. The [...]

joe2026-06-11T16:08:27-04:00June 11, 2026|Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 22-28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress When Congress returns from the Memorial Day recess next week, lawmakers will have to address the Republican-led reconciliation bill to fund ICE and CBP. After, they plan to start working on a third party-line bill focusing on affordability—including health care—which leadership aims to pass by the end of July. Next week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies is scheduled to mark up its Fiscal [...]

sysadmin2026-05-28T17:43:32-04:00May 28, 2026|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, MACPAC, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 24-30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Yesterday, House Republicans adopted the Senate’s budget resolution, clearing the way for the party-line reconciliation process to move into the drafting phase. The limited budget resolution for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection instructs the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees to write legislation by May 15. Today, the House passed the Senate’s spending bill to fund the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, including FEMA. [...]

joe2026-04-30T14:21:14-04:00April 30, 2026|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 10

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 4-10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House and Senate were in recess this week and are scheduled to be back in session on April 14. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated that the House will not vote on the Senate‑passed Department of Homeland Security continuing resolution until there is meaningful progress on a reconciliation package to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In an effort to narrow the scope [...]

joe2026-04-10T13:43:20-04:00April 10, 2026|340b, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 27 to April 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Proposed and Final CMS Medicare Regulations Proposed FY 2027 Medicare Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities Payment Rule CMS has published a proposed rule updating Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) under its IRF prospective payment system and updating the IRF quality reporting program for FY 2027. CMS proposes updating FY 2027 IRF rates by 2.4 percent based on a market basket update of 3.2 percent less a proposed [...]

joe2026-04-03T13:22:10-04:00April 3, 2026|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, Medicaid, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 26

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 20-26. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Republican leadership is exploring a reconciliation bill as a potential vehicle to fund Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) voting rights act. If pursued, this approach could increase the likelihood of additional health care cuts, including expanding site-neutral payment policies in both Medicare and Medicaid. It is not clear whether there will be sufficient support in either chamber for Republicans to pursue a party-line [...]

joe2026-03-26T15:09:34-04:00March 26, 2026|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Health Care Workers May Get Relief From New H-1B Visa Fee

A bill newly introduced in the House would provide relief to non-U.S. born health care workers from the $100,000 fee for H-1B visas that was introduced by executive order last year. Under the Physicians and Healthcare Workforce Act, health care workers from other countries would not be required to pay the new $100,000 visa fee to emigrate to and work in the U.S. In introducing the measure, the bill’s bipartisan sponsors noted that the $100,000 visa fee will only exacerbate the current shortage of doctors and other health care workers. Learn more about the bill and its sponsors’ reasons for [...]

joe2026-03-18T12:27:54-04:00March 19, 2026|Congress|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress While the House was in recess this week, the Republican caucus held its annual retreat to discuss legislative priorities. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) continues to push for another reconciliation bill, hoping to revisit several proposals to reduce Medicaid spending that were not included in HR another rank-and-file Republicans have expressed doubt that this will be possible. Both chambers of Congress are scheduled to be in session next week. The House Committee on [...]

joe2026-03-12T16:09:44-04:00March 12, 2026|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy|