LeadingAge is urging policymakers to consider a series of recommendations the group argues would cushion the blow of impending federal staffing minimums for the nursing home sector.
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Sanders, Cassidy Lay Out Priorities
Sanders, Cassidy Named Chair, Ranking Member Of Senate Health Panel
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Thursday (Feb. 2) took up the mantle of Senate health committee chair and ranking member, respectively, kicking off a partnership that experts previously told Inside Health Policy will likely maintain the productive dynamic for which the committee is known.
Cassidy Would ‘Entertain’ Need For Food Agency That’s Separate From FDA
Cassidy: Telehealth Providers Should Be Licensed Where They Practice, Reimbursed Less
Latest Pandemic News
CMS: COVID-19 Optional Group Coverage Ends May 11
Uninsured Americans enrolled in the optional Medicaid group offered by select states to cover COVID-19 vaccine, testing and treatments will lose their coverage once the public health emergency ends on May 11 unless the state decides to foot the bill, CMS told Inside Health Policy on Friday (Feb. 3).
More Investment Needed In Pathogen Origins, Scientists Tell Congress
FDA: Patients Can Get Paxlovid, Lagevrio Even With Negative COVID Test
Experts Call For More Focus On Next-Generation COVID-19 Vaccines
GOP Credits House-Passed Bill To End COVID-19 PHE With Forcing Admin’s Hand
Latest News
In separate letters sent to CVS and Walgreens, 20 Republican attorneys general warn the companies of the legal repercussions of sending abortion pills through the mail, coming a month after FDA announced it will allow mifepristone -- one of two pills used in the medication abortion regimen -- to be dispensed through certain pharmacies, including retail pharmacies, and will let the drug be prescribed via telehealth and delivered through the mail.
Illinois Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have reached out to pharmacy chains Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid to ask how the federal government can help ensure the stores have access to and can safely and confidentially provide patients with abortion pills now that FDA has cleared the way for pharmacies to get certified to dispense mifepristone -- one of two pills used as part of a medication abortion regimen -- in stores and by mail.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) is pressing CMS on how it will enforce the new drug pricing law’s requirement that drug makers pay rebates when they raise prices faster than the rate of inflation, saying he strongly hopes companies violating the requirement will be “penalized promptly.”
House Energy & Commerce oversight subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) told Inside Health Policy he has already offered to work with FDA on creating a safe pathway to bring cannabidiol (CBD) products to market, just days after the agency on Jan. 26 said that the current food and dietary supplement frameworks won’t work for CBD, much to the chagrin of cannabis and dietary supplement groups.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America is eyeing the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), a must-pass piece of legislation that’s up for reauthorization this year, as a potential vehicle for passing a key antibiotic funding bill that failed to make it into the fiscal 2023 omnibus spending package.
CMS on Wednesday (Feb. 1) projected in the 2024 advance rate notice that Medicare Advantage plans could see a pay bump of around 1% for 2024 – a sharp decrease from the more than 8% pay bump they received for 2023, as well as the 4% increase plans got for 2022. The smaller pay raise is due in part to CMS proposing a revamped risk adjustment model and changes in star ratings that are projected to hurt plan payments.
CMS released Wednesday (Feb. 1) an advance notice of changes to Medicare Part D payment policies plans will need to factor into their operations in 2024, most of which are measures enacted under the Inflation Reduction Act to lower out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for beneficiaries.
The Texas Medical Association is once again suing the Biden administration over its implementation of the No Surprises Act, this time arguing that CMS’ last-minute increase to the fees charged for using the independence dispute resolution process violates the Administrative Procedure Act.
Latest 340B News
AHA Asks To Work With CMS On 340B Underpayments To Avert More Lawsuits
The American Hospital Association has asked to meet with CMS officials as they put together a regulation to repay hospitals for the 340B drug pay cuts the Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional, warning that any attempt by CMS to prospectively repay hospitals or to claw back funds from hospitals as it repays the 340B participants could lead to more lawsuits.
Tally Of Drug Makers Imposing 340B Restrictions Rises To 21
Court Says HHS Exceeded Law, Sides With Drug Makers In 340B Pharmacy Case
Physician Payment Reform
Bucshon Looks For Bipartisan Medicare Pay Reforms As Docs Push For Stability
Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) is calling for oversight hearings on Medicare physician pay reform as he works through stakeholders' comments on flaws in the system set up by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act to find solutions with bipartisan support, while a wide range of provider groups representing more than a million clinicians urge lawmakers to move on comprehensive reforms.
Physician Fee Schedule Reform Tops Providers’ Agenda
PHE Endgame
With Ryan Haight Telehealth Cliff In Sight, DEA To Move Quickly On Rule
The Drug Enforcement Administration will propose regulations shortly that allow telehealth providers to continue prescribing controlled substances after the COVID-19 public health ends, a DEA official told Inside TeleHealth Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 31).
Biden To End COVID-19 PHE May 11, Clock Ticks On Slew Of Health Policies
Healthcare.gov To Offer 16-Month Special Enrollment Period During Medicaid Unwinding
Staff Shortages Hamstring Medicaid Program Ahead Of Redeterminations
Nurses, CMS Call Center Workers Organize For Pay, Workforce Protections
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