340B – DeBrunner & Associates

Federal Health Policy Update for September 10

Don’t Miss: Energy and Commerce to weigh multiple health care bills HRSA shares upcoming 340B administrative changes CMS continues distributing Rural Health Transformation Program $$$ The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September 4-10. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The White House announced that the federal government will issue refunds of $500 a person to nearly one million Americans who it says were overcharged for Affordable Care Act exchange health plans because their premiums included user fees that were charged to cover the cost [...]

joe2026-09-10T14:54:12-04:00September 10, 2026|340b, Affordable Care Act, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Administrative Changes Coming to 340B

The Health Resources and Services Administration has released new information about changes coming to its 340B Office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System on October 1. According to the agency, the changes “… support program integrity, transparency, and operational efficiency by enhancing several registration, recertification, and change request processes.” Among the areas that will see changes are: documentation requirements for some eligible entities hospital terminology changes requirements for additional information from family planning covered entities The October changes do not, the agency notes, “… change the underlying statutory eligibility requirements for participation in the 340B Program.” Learn more about administrative changes [...]

joe2026-09-08T14:24:28-04:00September 10, 2026|340b|

Federal Health Policy Update for September 3

Don’t Miss: 340B data reporting requirements for Medicare Part D claims data – repository opens October 1 CMS permanently permits providers to deliver telehealth from home without listing home address on Medicare enrollment application The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 28-September 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) CMS is preparing to launch a new Medicare Part D Claims Data 340B Repository on October 1. The 340B data repository will be a centralized, federally managed information system that will [...]

joe2026-09-03T17:26:34-04:00September 3, 2026|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, COVID-19, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations, MedPAC, Telehealth|

CMS Sets Soft Launch for 340B Data Repository

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will launch a new Medicare Part D Claims Data 340B Repository on October 1. The agency’s 340B data repository will be a centralized, federally managed information system that will collect, store, and process specific claim-level utilization data for prescription drugs dispensed under the Medicare Part D benefit that also are subject to discounts through the 340B Drug Pricing Program. CMS developed the repository to support implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program, which was mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Under this program, the federal government must exclude drug [...]

joe2026-09-02T12:49:27-04:00September 3, 2026|340b, Medicare|

Disagreement Over 340B’s Future

Almost immediately after the Department of Health and Human Services announced a pilot program to test using a rebate model in the 340B Drug Pricing Program, members of Congress responded with proposed legislation that would prevent HHS from implementing that pilot. Last week, HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration announced its 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program, a refined version of a previous pilot program that a federal court rejected earlier this year. Under this new model, qualifying drug manufacturers will be able to provide the 340B ceiling price to eligible 340B providers through rebates, an approach manufacturers have increasingly sought, [...]

joe2026-08-11T15:58:28-04:00August 12, 2026|340b, hospitals|

HRSA Tries Again With New 340B Model

Following a federal court rejection earlier this year of a previously announced pilot program to alter how the 340B Drug Pricing Program is administered, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration has announced that it will implement a revised 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program. Under this new model, qualifying drug manufacturers will be able to provide the 340B ceiling price to eligible 340B providers through rebates, an approach manufacturers have increasingly sought, rather than the upfront discounts that providers prefer. According to a HRSA news release, the agency believes its new model will: Improve claims-level [...]

joe2026-08-06T15:15:39-04:00August 10, 2026|340b|

More Medicaid DSH Money Coming for Some Hospitals?

Some hospitals may be in line for larger Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments as a result of a federal court decision that calls for changes in how those Medicaid DSH payments are calculated. Last week, a U.S. District court in Texas again vacated a 2023 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulation that excludes inpatient days covered by uncompensated care pools, such as through section 1115 waivers, when quantifying Medicaid days for the purpose of calculating hospitals’ Medicaid DSH payments. This decision applies nationwide and has implications for the computation of some hospitals’ Medicaid DSH payments and for establishing hospitals’ [...]

joe2026-08-05T11:40:12-04:00August 6, 2026|340b, hospitals, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 23

Don’t Miss: Congress advances health care bills CMS proposes provider tax rule Courts act on ACA changes, 340B The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 17-23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a markup for 29 bills, advancing the following health care transparency measures with bipartisan support: H.R. 9390, Prices on the Wall Act of 2026 H.R. 9393, Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026, part of a package that also includes: H.R. 3514, Improving Seniors’ Timely Access [...]

joe2026-07-23T16:29:15-04:00July 23, 2026|340b, Affordable Care Act, MACPAC, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Administration, Congress, Press Hospitals for Reforms

Even at a time when passing major health care legislation in the near future becomes increasingly unlikely, the hospital community continues to face serious challenges from both the administration and Congress. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed making more Medicare outpatient payments on a site-neutral basis and reducing Medicare payments to hospitals for prescription drugs covered by the 340B drug pricing program. It also threatens other changes in the 340B program that hospitals believe will make it more difficult – and costly – to participate in. Meanwhile, Congress is considering increasing federal oversight of the finances of [...]

joe2026-07-07T16:42:00-04:00July 8, 2026|340b, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations|

Proposed Medicare Rule Could Hit Hospitals Hard

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed 2027 Medicare outpatient prospective payment system rule could pose several serious challenges to hospitals. Among them: A proposed increase of 2.4 percent in payments for outpatient services that could be reduced to only 0.6 percent if CMS adopts its proposal to accelerate its clawback from previous 340B litigation to a three percent reduction. The transition of still more imaging services to site-neutral payments and a prohibition against Medicare outpatient payments for off-campus hospital-based outpatient departments unless each department has its own National Provider Identifier (NPI) and an attestation from the main provider [...]

joe2026-07-07T12:02:42-04:00July 7, 2026|340b, hospitals, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|