The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for November 14-20.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Medicare and Telehealth

In guidance issued Thursday afternoon, CMS notes that on November 6 it instructed the MACs to return a subset of telehealth claims submitted on or before November 10 that at that time were no longer payable because the statutory provisions temporarily suspending various Medicare telehealth requirements expired on October 1 or were claims CMS could not identify as payable under current law.  Now, practitioners may resubmit those returned claims to CMS and submit any other telehealth claims held in anticipation of possible congressional action.  CMS also encourages practitioners to identify which beneficiaries they charged for telehealth services with dates of service on or after October 1 that are retroactively payable and instead submit applicable claims to Medicare, refunding any overpayment to beneficiaries.  CMS has rescinded its previous instruction to practitioners to append the GY modifier on certain telehealth claims and providers may resubmit denied claims.  Find this guidance here.

In a separate document, CMS has updated its telehealth FAQ for calendar year 2026 and its guidance on submitting claims for Medicare-covered telehealth services delivered during the federal government shutdown.  An update late last week explained that “CMS will continue to pay telehealth claims in the same way they had been paid before October 1, 2025.  Telehealth flexibilities will apply retroactively as if there hadn’t been a temporary lapse in the application of the telehealth flexibilities through January 30, 2026.”  Find the updated FAQ here.

Congress

Last week, Senate majority leader John Thune (R-SD) promised a Senate vote by the end of the year on extending Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits.  This week, Congress began discussions on this and several other health care issues, focusing on affordability and improving care coordination.  Both the House and Senate held hearings that addressed Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire on December 31 and other health care extenders that were funded through January 30, 2026 by last week’s continuing resolution.  This suggests possible movement toward a year-end health care legislative package.

In the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) revisited proposals to replace existing Affordable Care Act tax credits with health savings accounts (HSAs).  Senator Cassidy emphasized his commitment to this approach but many lawmakers acknowledged that implementing such a significant change in this timeframe is unlikely.  Democrats in both chambers remain steadfast in their push to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies, framing the issue as essential for maintaining affordable coverage.  Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS) circulated a letter with 58 House Democrats asking Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to hold a vote on the Affordable Care Act tax credits; see that letter here.  In the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-OR) signaled renewed interest in pharmaceutical pricing; their discussion focused on legislation to reduce costs through pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) reform.

Both the House and Senate plan to adjourn at the end of this week for a Thanksgiving break, with further conversations on the Affordable Care Act tax credits and possible additional health care legislation to resume on December 1.

Implementation of Changes in Medicaid Provider Tax Law

Last week CMS issued new guidance via a letter to state Medicaid officials regarding implementation of two provisions of H.R. 1, a law passed in July that brought significant changes to U.S. tax law and major changes in Medicare and especially Medicaid; the bill also has become known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”  The CMS memo focuses on section 71115 of the law, which determines the date by which increases to existing provider taxes or a new provider tax must be enacted or imposed to be approved, and on section 71117, which specifies standards for provider tax uniformity and allows CMS to provide a transition period for compliance.  With all but one state using Medicaid provider taxes to help finance their share of Medicaid spending and many states increasingly dependent on such taxes, this issue is of considerable importance to health care providers – especially those that care for large numbers of Medicaid patients – because it addresses states’ ability to introduce and increase such taxes in the future.

The CMS guidance notes that “This information is being provided as preliminary guidance to aid state planning efforts.  CMS understands the need for relevant and timely information for Medicaid decision makers.” 

Section 71115

The CMS guidance reviews section 71115 of the law, on provider taxes.  This section grandfathers existing Medicaid provider taxes in expansion states at the percentage of net patient revenue for taxes that are enacted and imposed as of the law’s implementation date, which was July 4, 2025.  According to CMS, the law prohibits new provider taxes or increases in existing taxes that would exceed the grandfathered threshold.  The letter defines enacted and imposed as:

Enacted

  • The applicable state or local government has completed the entire legislative process necessary to authorize the tax (either initially or to amend an existing tax) that supports the specific tax structure that is in effect on July 4, 2025. Note: The enacted tax structure as of July 4, 2025, does not include administrative (e.g. through a state budget office) or legislative adjustments to a tax structure (including revenue increases) after July 4, 2025, even if retroactively applicable.
  • If the tax requires a broad-based and/or uniformity tax waiver, CMS has approved the tax waiver as of July 4, 2025.

Imposed

  • A state or local government (directly or by way of a delegated administrative agency) was actively collecting revenue, as of July 4, 2025, associated with the specific enacted tax structure in effect on that date. 
    • In the case where a state collects taxes on a delayed schedule consistent with routine collection or billing practice, the collection is applicable as of July 4, 2025, and based on the specific enacted tax structure in effect on that date.

CMS notes that revenues associated with tax waivers that were pending on the date of enactment or submitted after the date of enactment will not meet its requirements for approval.  CMS will base tax thresholds on a state’s current tax structure currently approved and in effect and for which the state is actively collecting revenue.

In this section of the letter, CMS states, “This information is preliminary in nature and final policies will depend on the contents of a final rule.”

Section 71117

In the memo’s review of section 71117, CMS introduces new standards to assess when a Medicaid provider tax would not be considered “generally redistributive” or “uniform.”  The law allows CMS to give states a transition period not to exceed three years to bring provider taxes into compliance with the new standards.  CMS’s guidance establishes two different transition periods for taxes on managed care organizations and for all other providers.

  • For health care-related taxes on services of managed care organizations (MCO) that exploit the loophole for which a tax waiver was approved before the date of enactment of WFTCL (July 4, 2025): Until the end of the applicable state’s fiscal year ending in calendar year 2026.
  • For all other taxes on permissible classes that exploit the loophole for which a tax waiver was approved before the date of enactment of WFTCL (July 4, 2025): Until the end of the applicable state’s fiscal year ending in calendar year 2028, but no later than October 1, 2028.

Find the CMS guidance here and an accompanying press release here.

As noted, CMS issued this letter as preliminary guidance to states and intends to finalize and formalize its intentions through notice-and-comment rulemaking.  CMS sent the related proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review on Monday.  In addition, CMS has established a new web page that provides resources on these and other aspects of H.R. 1’s health care provisions.  Find that web page here.

Change in the Public Charge Rule

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a proposed rule seeking to change how it enforces the public charge rule, which is a government determination that can deem certain immigrants inadmissible to the U.S. or deny them lawful permanent residency (a green card) if they are considered likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence.

The proposed rule gives DHS agents a short list of factors to consider when determining whether to issue or renew a visa, green card, or other admission into the country and is based on historic statutory authority for the government to prevent any person “unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge” from entering the country.  Two previous rules, in 2019 and 2022, amended the public charge rule, with the latter establishing the current test that depends on whether the individual received cash benefits or long-term institutionalization from the government.  Receipt of Medicaid benefits was excluded from consideration but the proposed rule would change that, although the proposed rule calls for DHS agents to ignore the receipt of emergency medical assistance in making these determinations.

With this rule, DHS seeks to remove from the regulation factors and definitions that were added in 2019 and 2022 that guide DHS decisions.  Instead, DHS officers would be permitted to make case-by-case decisions based on the totality of circumstances to assess “whether an alien is self-sufficient and is likely to depend on their own capabilities and the resources of their families, their sponsors, and private organizations to meet their needs” rather than the federal government.

In the past, changes in the public charge rule have sometimes had the effect of discouraging individuals concerned about its implications from seeking care when they need it or seeking to renew their Medicaid eligibility; this includes many who are unquestionably and legitimately entitled to Medicaid services, and such delays in seeking care can exacerbate such individuals’ medical problems.

Find the proposed rule here.  The deadline for submitting comments is December 19.  If the rule is finalized, it will take effect immediately.  DHS may issue further policies and interpretive guidelines after a final rule is issued.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
  • CMS has issued an informational bulletin providing general information to states, stakeholders, and others on the Medicaid and CHIP provisions found in H.R. 1, a bill passed in July that brought significant changes to U.S. tax law and major changes in Medicare and especially Medicaid.  Among the components of H.R. 1 that the memo addresses are:
    • changes in Medicaid eligibility criteria
    • changes in the frequency of eligibility redetermination for some Medicaid enrollees
    • changes in criteria for acceptable financing of the state share of Medicaid, including through Medicaid provider taxes
    • the elimination of increased federal Medicaid matching funds (federal Medical Assistance percentage, or FMAP) for states that met certain criteria introduced in 2021
    • revised criteria governing state directed Medicaid managed care payments
    • the introduction of work and community engagement requirements for Medicaid enrollees
    • the introduction of the Rural Health Transformation Program
    • a moratorium on the implementation of previously adopted minimum staffing requirements for long-term-care facilities

CMS also notes that it anticipates additional rulemaking in the future to address these and other issues covered in this memo.  Find the CMS memo here.

  • CMS has released the 2026 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs and the 2026 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts.  The Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible that beneficiaries pay if admitted to the hospital will be $1,736 in 2026, an increase of $60 from $1,676 in 2025.  The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $202.90 in 2026, an increase of $17.90, or nearly ten percent, from $185.00 in 2025.  The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $283 in 2026, an increase of $26 from the annual deductible of $257 in 2025.  Learn more about these and Part D premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts from this CMS fact sheet; from this CMS announcement on Part A fees; from this CMS notice on Part A premiums for uninsured aged and for certain disabled individuals who have exhausted other entitlements; and from this CMS notice on Part B premiums.
  • CMS is proposing changes in the information it collects from state Medicaid programs that it uses to assure that Medicaid payments are consistent with efficiency, economy, and quality of care and are sufficient to enlist enough providers so that care and services are available under the plan at least to the extent that such care and services are available to the general population in the geographic area.  States use this information to identify issues with access within their Medicaid program and to inform any necessary programmatic changes to address issues with access to care.  CMS uses this information to monitor compliance with federal Medicaid requirements and to make informed approval decisions on state plan amendments that propose to make Medicaid rate reductions or restructure payment rates.  Learn more from this CMS notice.  The deadline for submitting comments is January 20.
  • On a new web page, CMS details CY 2026 changes in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program that were introduced in the CY 2026 physician fee schedule rule.  Find that web page here.
  • CMS has posted updated FY 2028 skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing performance standards.  Go here to find CMS’s announcement of the updated standards.
  • CMS has posted a bulletin on new waived tests that includes Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) requirements and two new FDA-approved waived tests that take effect on January 1, 2026.  The bulletin includes codes and descriptions of the tests.  Find the bulletin here.
  • Expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model final CY Final CY 2025 Annual Performance Reports are now available.  These reports contain home health agencies’ annual payment percentages that will be applied to all home health prospective payment system fee-for service claims with a through date in 2026.  Learn more from
Department of Health and Human Services
  • HHS has posted eight videos from the two-day meeting held by the Physician-Focused Payment Model’s technical advisory committee in September.  The videos focus on using data to empower patients.  Find the videos here.
  • HHS has published “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria:  Review of Evidence and Best Practices,” its study of the medical dangers posed to children from attempts to change their biological sex.  The report finds that the harms from sex-rejecting procedures are significant, long term, and often ignored or inadequately tracked.  Learn more from this HHS news release.
HHS/Office of the Inspector General
  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) needs to improve the cybersecurity of the “All of Us Research Program” to protect participant data, HHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has concluded in a new report.  That program seeks to advance disease prevention and treatment by making personal health information provided by more than one million volunteer participants available for research.  Learn more about the challenges the OIG identified and its recommendations for addressing those challenges from this OIG report.
  • The OIG has published the inflation updates for the annual cap on patient engagement tools and supports under the safe harbor arrangements for patient engagement and support.  Included in the notice is the cap of $623 for calendar year 2026, which represents a three percent increase over the 2025 cap.  Find the published annual caps here.
  • CMS puts $11.2 billion at risk of fraud, waste, and abuse by not properly closing contracts, the OIG concluded after a recent audit.  Learn more about its findings and recommendations from this OIG report.
  • Dermatology providers generally meet Medicare requirements for evaluation and management services performed on the same day as minor surgical procedures, the OIG has found after a recent review of these practices.  Learn more about what the OIG found from this report.
  • HHS’s OIG has updated its November work plan for audits and reviews.  Find the updated work plan here.
Medicaid State Plan Amendments

CMS has approved the following state plan amendments for Medicaid and CHIP programs.  (Note:  Some of these links lead to a link for a direct download of CMS’s approval document and the proposed state plan amendment while others lead to a direct download of those documents.)

  • To Iowa, updating reimbursement for child specialty hospitals.
  • To Texas, updating the durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies services fee schedules.
  • To Texas, updating the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program fee schedules.
  • To Texas, updating the personal care services reimbursement methodology.
  • To Texas, updating the physicians’ and other practitioners’ program fee schedules.
  • To Texas, permitting the state to cover prescribed drugs that are not covered outpatient drugs when medically necessary during drug shortages identified by the Food and Drug Administration.
  • To South Carolina, updating nursing facility payment rates effective October 1, 2025.
  • To South Carolina, updating the reimbursement methodology for services delivered in pediatric HIV clinics.
  • To Massachusetts, increasing the Supplemental Payment for Continuity of Access for High Public Payer Acute Hospitals by $7 million for inpatient acute hospital services.
  • To Massachusetts, updating the methods and standards used by the state for payment for substance use disorder clinic services.
  • To Oklahoma, increasing the per diem rate for partial hospitalization services.
  • To Oklahoma, increasing the base rate for standard nursing facilities, nursing facilities serving patients with AIDS, and standard private and specialized private intermediate-care facilities for individuals with
    intellectual disabilities.
  • To Oklahoma, providing assurance of coverage for clinic services outside of the “four walls” of Indian Health Services/Tribal clinics in accordance with the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system and ambulatory surgical center payment system final rule.
  • To Kansas, adding the definition of “Rural Emergency Hospital.”
  • To Kansas, updating physician services and reimbursement rates.
  • To Kansas, updating dental services reimbursement rates.
  • To Louisiana, amending the standards for payment and reimbursement for nursing facilities to implement the patient-driven payment model (PDPM) for case-mix classification.
  • To Louisiana, amending provisions governing personal needs allowances by increasing the monthly limit amount for personal care needs to better support long-term-care members with personal expenses not covered by facility fees.
  • To Louisiana, implementing required coverage for incarcerated youth in Medicaid as described in section S121 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
  • , adding services of psychological associates to state plan and updating the title of “Certified Peer Specialists” and “Certified Peer Specialist Trainees” to “Certified Peer Support Specialists” and “Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainees.”
  • To California, clarifying the list of providers for behavioral health treatment services by removing duplicate listings of board-certified behavior analysts and behavior management consultants from the list of qualified autism service professionals since the individual provider types are also listed as qualified autism service providers.
  • To California, adding local educational agencies and public institutions of higher education to the list of eligible providers that can supervise community health workers.
  • To Connecticut, updating reimbursement provisions for services in privately-owned and operated freestanding chronic disease hospitals.  Specifically, it implements a quarterly supplemental payment of $800,000 and establishes provisions for newly established chronic disease hospitals to be reimbursed a per diem payment of $934.11.
  • To Connecticut, updating reimbursement provisions for services in privately owned and operated pediatric psychiatric hospitals and pediatric psychiatric hospital units.  Specifically, it extends applicable per diem add-on payments through December 31, 2026.
  • To Ohio, removing obsolete Section 4.19-B page 66a.
  • To Ohio, updating Attachment 3.1-A of the Medicaid state plan for clinic services.
  • To Ohio, establishing coverage and payment provisions for an evidence-based home visiting model entitled “Family Connects” that provides treatment, education, home visits, and training to postpartum individuals to facilitate better birth outcomes and to improve child health and development.
  • To New Hampshire, attesting that the state has developed an operational plan in accordance with section 1902(a)(84)(D) of the Social Security Act to provide screening and diagnostic services and targeted case management to eligible juveniles, as defined in 1902(nn).
  • To Minnesota, addressing substance use disorder provider qualifications and making changes to provider qualifications for treatment coordinators.
  • To Alabama, enabling the state Medicaid agency to apply the reimbursement methodology for inpatient and outpatient hospital services for state fiscal year 2025 in a manner consistent with that used in fiscal year 2024.
  • To Colorado, allowing the contingency fee paid to the Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program contractors to exceed that of the highest Medicare RAC and allowing federal financial participation for the full amount of the contingency fee paid to the RAC.
  • To Colorado, enabling the Medicaid state plan to provide mandatory coverage in accordance with section 1902(a)(84)(D) of the Social Security Act for eligible juveniles who are incarcerated in a public institution post adjudication of charges.
  • To Colorado, removing the September 30, 2025 sunset date for mandatory coverage of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders.
  • To Indiana, extending the exemption requirement for the state to contract recovery audit services to a third party for an additional two-year period.
  • To Indiana, modifying the end date for medication-assisted treatment and making coverage and reimbursement for those services permanent.
  • To Wisconsin, updating the state plan to use the new required clinic services template provided by CMS.
  • To Wisconsin, extending the state’s Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program exception from November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2027.
  • To Wisconsin, updating the per-visit add-on for outpatient dental services and establishing the state’s outpatient pay-for-performance system and health information exchange program.
  • To Mississippi, to reimburse certain high-cost drugs outside of the APR-DRG reimbursement system.
  • To Mississippi, providing for reimbursement for certain high-cost drugs outside of the APR-DRG reimbursement system.
  • To Pennsylvania, establishing a new class of supplemental payments to qualifying Medical Assistance-enrolled acute-care general hospitals that promote the availability of emergency department services to the Medical Assistance population in an area of the state with the highest number of Medical Assistance enrollees.
  • To Florida, updating the state’s home health benefit to include family home health aide services.  This enhancement enables home health agencies to receive reimbursement for services provided by an eligible provider relative caring for a medically fragile child.
  • To New Mexico, updating the Family Infant Toddler Program fee-for-service fee schedule, effective July 1, 2025.
  • To Alaska, removing prior authorization requirements for rehabilitative behavioral health services and services provided by community behavioral health service clinics and mental health physician clinics.
  • To Alaska, updating the state’s professional dispensing fees and excluded drug listing.
  • To North Dakota, introducing a rate increase for home health services.
  • To North Dakota, implementing an inflationary increase of two percent for intermediate-care facilities.
  • To North Dakota, implementing a two percent rate increase for services rendered by Medicaid providers.
  • To North Dakota, raising rates for 1915(i) services.
  • To North Dakota, to reimburse for a long-acting reversible contraceptive device outside of a DRG payment.
  • To North Dakota, changing the North Dakota Medicaid Expansion Alternative Benefits Plan to align with the 19-20-year-old plan.  This amendment is a technical change to add to the “other licensed providers” section.
  • To North Dakota, providing coverage for clinic services provided outside the four walls of the clinic.
  • To Missouri, increasing fees for anesthesia services.
  • To Missouri, updating the cost report total case-mix index; providing for replacement facilities to be designated as new or existing consistent with the criteria used for other new or existing nursing facilities; updating the value-based purchasing quality measures and the corresponding per diem adjustments; clarifying the base rate for new facilities having their initial prospective rate set; and providing for the multiple component incentive to be recalculated with the semi-annual and annual rate updates.
  • To New York, reducing care coordination organization reimbursement in accordance with the FY 2025 enacted budget.
  • To New York, establishing an across-the-board 2.84 percent cost-of-living adjustment for psychiatric residential treatment facilities.
  • To New York, providing a one-time, across-the-board funding increase of up to $280.5 million to nursing homes.
  • To Utah, establishing an exception to the Recovery Audit Contractor program from November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2027.
  • To Utah, modifying coverage and reimbursement policies for medically necessary services delivered by local education agencies.
  • To Georgia, implementing qualified residential treatment programs.
  • To Georgia, updating rates for the autism spectrum disorder services.
  • To Arizona, bringing the state into compliance with actions implemented in Section 201 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, which made the mandatory medication-assisted treatment benefit permanent by amending 1905(a)(29) of the act to remove the end date of September 30, 2025.
  • To Tennessee, implementing an income disregard for Beneficiary Advisory Council compensation.
  • To Nebraska, updating the state’s targeted case management benefit for individuals with developmental disabilities benefit to the targeted case management pre-print format and updating the state plan language to person-centered language.
  • To the District of Columbia, updating fee schedule rates for home health services.
  • To Oregon, dividing an existing targeted case management target group into two separate target groups and updating the payment methodology.
  • To Oregon, carving out selected high-cost drugs and long-acting reversible contraceptive devices from the DRG reimbursement for hospitals and using actual acquisition cost.
  • To Vermont, bringing the state into compliance with the mandatory coverage requirement for eligible juveniles who are inmates of a public institution post-adjudication of charges.
  • To Michigan, increasing the reimbursement rate for conventional hearing aid batteries to $1.42 per unit.
HHS Newsletters, Reports, and Videos
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The FDA has revised its autism and vaccines web page to note that “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”  The update also notes that “Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities” and that HHS has launched its own assessment of the causes of autism.  Learn more from the FDA’s updated autism and vaccines web page.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)

MedPAC has published the annual update of its “Payment Basics” series – brief (generally two to five pages) overviews of how Medicare’s payment systems function.  The series includes briefs on Medicare’s payment systems for:

  • accountable care organizations
  • ambulance services
  • critical access hospitals
  • clinical laboratory services
  • durable medical equipment
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics
  • hospice services
  • inpatient psychiatric facilities
  • inpatient rehabilitation facilities
  • long-term-care hospitals
  • Medicare Advantage programs
  • outpatient dialysis
  • outpatient hospital services
  • Part B drugs
  • Part D payments
  • physician and other health professional services
  • skilled nursing facilities

Find the Payment Basics series here.

Government Accountability Office
  • In FY 2023, the federal government and six selected states – California, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas – paid health insurance entities at least $1.6 billion in potential overpayments or fraud for duplicate health care coverage or benefits.  This included payments made on behalf of approximately 500,000 individuals who were simultaneously enrolled across multiple states in Medicaid or the CHIP program or receiving an advance premium tax credit across multiple states.  These payments were made on behalf of individuals to managed care organizations in the form of capitated payments for Medicaid and CHIP or to health insurance issuers through advance premium tax credits.  In a new report, the GAO concludes that enhanced data matching could help prevent duplication benefits and yield substantial savings.  Learn more about what the GAO learned and how it recommends addressing the problems it found in this GAO report.
  • Amid current negotiations in Congress about possible changes in or replacement of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance provisions, the GAO has published a report on one of the tools that is part of that discussion:  health savings accounts.  Learn more about health savings accounts from the GAO report “Health Savings Accounts:  Information on Features and Use, and Characteristics of Account Holders.”
  • Following up on its October testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the GAO has issued the report “340B Drug Discount Program:  Agency Oversight Has Improved, but Actions Needed to Address Weaknesses” which summarizes its past reports on the 340B program and its recommendations for addressing the problems it identified.  Find that report here.
Stakeholder Events

MedPAC – Commissioners Meeting  – December 4-5

MedPAC’s commissioners will hold their next public meeting virtually on Thursday, December 4 and Friday, December 5.  An agenda and registration information are not yet available but when they are they will be posted here.  MedPAC notes that this meeting is contingent on enactment of funding for the federal government.

MACPAC – Commissioners Meeting – December 11-12

MACPAC’s commissioners will hold their next public meeting virtually on Thursday, December 11 and Friday, December 12.  Go here to register to participate.

CMS – Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II public meeting – December 17

CMS will hold a virtual Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II public meeting on Wednesday, December 17 at 9:00 (eastern) to discuss its preliminary coding, Medicare benefit category, and Medicare payment determinations, if applicable, for new revisions to the HCPCS Level II code set for non-drug and non-biological items and services.  Learn more about the meeting, including how to register and how to participate, from this CMS notice.

HHS/Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy – ASTP Annual Meeting – February 11-12, 2026

HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy will hold its annual meeting in Washington, DC on February 11-12, 2026.  The meeting will include in-person education and plenary sessions and networking opportunities for the health IT community.  The main stage plenary sessions will also be available for viewing online.  ASTP will soon post information on the meeting’s agenda, how to register, and how to reserve a hotel room through ASTP’s room block.  When it does, that information will be posted here.