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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 May 21

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 15-21. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House Ways and Means Committee marked up several health care bills addressing issues such as durable medical equipment (DME) and home health fraud. A discussion draft that would have required non-profit hospitals and health systems to provide additional reporting on community benefit spending was removed from the list of measures considered. See all the marked-up bills and a recording of the meeting on the committee’s website here. Ways & Means expects [...]

joe2026-05-21T16:10:09-04:00May 21, 2026|Affordable Care Act, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 8-14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The Ways and Means Committee has circulated a discussion draft of a bill that would require non-profit hospitals and health systems to report more of their community benefit-related spending activity. Under the draft bill, non-profit hospitals and health systems would be required to report on charity care spending, their process for patients to apply for financial assistance, and spending associated with community benefits. They also would be required to report on subsidized service lines, community health needs assessments, and more. Affected hospitals and health [...]

joe2026-05-14T15:39:30-04:00May 14, 2026|hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid and housing for the disabled, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 7

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 1-7. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Congress hopes to pass a reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection before June 1; lawmakers would then turn to a potential third reconciliation measure to address health care affordability before the mid-term elections. Health care provisions in a potential third reconciliation bill could include expanded access to health savings accounts (HSAs); changes to the rate at which the federal government matches state Medicaid spending [...]

joe2026-05-07T16:06:32-04:00May 7, 2026|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|

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 23

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 17-23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House President Trump has issued an executive order calling for accelerated access to medical treatments for patients with serious mental illness, with an emphasis on greater access to psychedelic drugs. Learn more from this executive order and an accompanying White House fact sheet. Shortly after the White House issued this executive order, HHS’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) announced the first set of research teams for its Evidence-Based Validation [...]

joe2026-04-23T16:43:24-04:00April 23, 2026|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy|

Federal Health Policy Update for April 16

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for April 11-16. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. CMS – New Proposed Regulations FY 2027 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule CMS has published its proposed FY 2027 Medicare hospital inpatient and long-term-care hospital prospective payment system rule. The highlights of the proposed rule are: A 2.4 percent rate increase for both acute-care hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital services. A $564 million reduction in Medicare disproportionate share hospital (Medicare DSH) and [...]

joe2026-04-16T16:21:07-04:00April 16, 2026|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, 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 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|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 5

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for February 27-March 6. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a full committee markup of nine bills addressing cybersecurity and digital safety. See that list here. Also on Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee conducted a hearing titled “Transforming Health Care with Data: Improving Patient Outcomes Through Next-Generation Care.” Find video of the hearing here. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expressed interest in passing another reconciliation bill this year that would include policies addressing [...]

sysadmin2026-03-06T15:58:46-05:00March 6, 2026|ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC|