Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

AHRQ Pulls Back Research Funding

Many groups that were awarded multi-year grants by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are now being informed that they will not be receiving the additional funding they were told they could expect. In letters it is sending to such organizations, AHRQ is informing them it is not providing additional funding because its priorities have changed. Specifically, the letters explain that AHRQ's current priorities include focusing agency resources on patient safety, preventing antibiotic resistance, telehealth, overmedication of children, use of digital health tools to improve health, long COVID, artificial intelligence, nutrition, furthering understanding of autism, promoting research focused on [...]

joe2026-07-30T16:58:58-04:00August 3, 2026|Uncategorized|

House to Mull Cutting HHS Budget

The House Appropriations Committee has released a new budget proposal that would reduce the Department of Health and Human Services’ budget by six percent in the coming year. Overall, the proposal calls for reducing HHS’s discretionary budget by $13.7 billion. Much of that cut would come from a proposed reduction of 19 percent in the budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proposed budget also calls for $100 million for Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) funding; the elimination of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; and maintaining funding for Head Start at its current $12.3 billion. [...]

joe2025-09-02T17:18:32-04:00September 3, 2025|Congress|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 30

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 24-30. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has extended its Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model for calendar years 2025 through 2030 and will introduce changes intended to address more fully the health-related social needs of patients, advance health equity, and improve care for patients with serious illness. Learn more from this CMS announcement, which includes a link to additional information about the program. CMS [...]

iqtsupport2023-03-30T17:20:37-04:00March 30, 2023|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, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

FEDERAL HEALTH POLICY UPDATE FOR OCTOBER 20

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for the week of October 14 to October 20. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. White House President Biden has signed an executive order on lowering prescription drug costs. The order directs HHS to consider additional actions to further drive down prescription drug costs, encourages it to pursue such actions through its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), and directs HHS to submit a formal report within 90 days outlining any plans to use CMMI’s authority to lower drug costs and [...]

iqtsupport2022-10-20T17:01:23-04:00October 20, 2022|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid and housing, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, January 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Public Health Emergency Declaration Renewed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has renewed his department’s declaration of a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The renewal took effect on January 16 and extends the declaration for three months. Find the declaration here. Free COVID-19 Tests and Masks Upon request, the federal government is now providing four free monthly home COVID-19 tests to every household. Order those tests [...]

iqtsupport2022-01-19T17:47:33-05:00January 19, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, May 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House COVID-19 The White House has announced additional efforts to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including free rides to vaccination sites from Lyft and Uber, vaccination clinics at community colleges, and additional resources for states’ community outreach efforts. This will include funding for FEMA for phone banks, door-to-door canvassing, and pop-up vaccination clinics in workplaces and churches. See the White House fact sheet for [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-12T17:06:06-04:00May 12, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicare|