2026 PFS Update, Provider Tax Phase Down, $25B Rural Fund In Senate Reconciliation Text

The final reconciliation bill senators are set to begin voting on this weekend includes several changes from the Senate’s first draft, including a 2.5% increase for Medicare provider pay in 2026, a delayed timeline for the Medicaid provider tax phase down and state direct payment cap, and a new $25 billion rural hospital fund, among other changes -- but providers and beneficiary advocates say millions of people’s health care coverage is at stake and they’re demanding Congress start over on the bill.

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CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 07/03/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 27
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Senate May Delay Implementation Of Provider Tax Phase Down, Floor Vote Expected This Weekend

The final Senate reconciliation text expected late Friday (June 27) evening before a vote over the weekend could include a delayed version of the provider tax reductions that were axed earlier in the week by the Senate parliamentarian, according to recent reports that also said the final draft could include the rural hospital fund, which some senators have pushed to address concerns the bill’s Medicaid cuts would financially damage rural facilities.

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Inside CMS - 07/03/2025
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Vol. 28, No. 27
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Monarez Looked To As Vaccine Policy Check On Kennedy’s Policies

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may soon find herself at the center of a pitched battle over the future of U.S. vaccine policy -- one that health care watchers say could pit her directly against her boss, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 07/04/2025
FDA Volume: 
Vol. 31, No. 27
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Inside CMS - 07/03/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 27
Author: 

Oklahoma, Louisiana Latest States To Make MAHA Moves

Louisiana and Oklahoma are the latest states to implement elements of the Make America Healthy Again agenda, with bans on food additives and fluoride; availability of ivermectin without a prescription; physician training on nutrition; required seed oil notification; and Supplement Nutrition Assistance Programs restrictions in focus.

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FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 07/04/2025
FDA Volume: 
Vol. 31, No. 27
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Inside CMS - 07/03/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 27
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House Republicans, Employers Urge Senate To Include HSAs In Final Bill

Key House Republicans are calling on Senate leaders to add back health savings accounts (HSAs) provisions included in the House reconciliation bill, coming as stakeholders make a similar pitch for inclusion of the provisions stripped by the Senate along with a push by employers to offer telehealth services for high-deductible, high-premiums (HDHP) plans pre-deductible.

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Inside CMS - 07/03/2025
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Vol. 28, No. 27
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Drugmakers Unlikely To Curb TV Ads Without Targeted Regulation, Expert Says

Rather than pursuing an outright ban that could spark legal battles, HHS is weighing more targeted measures to make direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug ads harder and costlier to produce.

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FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 07/04/2025
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Vol. 31, No. 27
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Supreme Court Upholds FCC Internet Funding Structure For Rural Health Care Providers, Underserved

In a win for telehealth stakeholders, the Supreme Court on Friday (June 27) ruled that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) funding structure for a federal program that provides rural health care providers and underserved areas with access to affordable telephone and high-speed internet services does not violate the nondelegation doctrine.

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Inside CMS - 07/03/2025
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Vol. 28, No. 27
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Telecom Industry Says Supreme Court Decision Bolsters Broadband Buildout For AI

The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund program run by the Federal Communications Commission, which the telecom industry sees as essential to supporting the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure.

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