Cassidy: Upcoming Bill Will Realign 340B Program To Mitigate Misuse

Reforming the 340B drug discount program is among the top priorities for Senate health committee chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who said he plans to soon introduce long-awaited legislation aimed at maintaining the program’s mission while stemming safety net hospitals’ misuse of drug discounts. He said the reforms are also needed to prevent drug prices from rising. At a policy forum held Wednesday (Feb. 5) by the National Association of Community Health Centers, Cassidy said that as the 340B program has...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
IDP Issue: 
Inside Drug Pricing - 02/10/2025
IDP Volume: 
Vol. 8, No. 6
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Peter Nelson, Critic Of Coverage Expansions, To Lead CCIIO

Updated Story The Trump administration has tapped Peter Nelson, a former CMS senior advisor who has heavily criticized the Biden administration’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act, to lead the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), which has oversight over the health insurance marketplaces. He will also serve as deputy CMS administrator. Nelson rejoins the government after spending four years at the Minnesota-based Center for the American Experiment, the think tank said Wednesday. While formerly...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 02/13/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 7
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Paragon: FDA Must Work With Developers, Providers On Post-Market AI Surveillance

FDA, artificial intelligence developers and providers should collaborate on “federated standardized outcome data networks” that would allow stakeholders to keep AI data locally while aggregating key information into centralized databases, according to a new policy brief from the conservative think tank Paragon Health Institute. Such data networks would support post-market surveillance of health AI tools, a current focus of agencies, lawmakers and AI developers as emerging technologies enter the health care sector. “We argue that to increase the expediency at...
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Dems, Stakeholders Call For Restoration Of HPAI Updates, Other Data

Democratic lawmakers and health care stakeholders are raising alarms over data that has been deleted from the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies, as well as calling for the return of reports on viral diseases like highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Some categories in federal data sets have been removed or altered in compliance with an executive order from President Donald Trump on “gender ideology,” with information about gender identity responses from study...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 02/14/2025
FDA Volume: 
Vol. 31, No. 7
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CAGW Urges Congress To Grant Trump Broadband Reorganization Powers

Citizens Against Government Waste urged House lawmakers Wednesday (Feb. 5) to grant President Donald Trump power to reorganize broadband programs that facilitate access to telehealth so he can implement a national strategy to reduce wasteful spending in federal broadband programs. The recommendation comes as congressional Republicans aim to work with the president’s DOGE initiative to drastically cut federal spending, and after congressional Democrats failed to get Republicans to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program that expired last June. CAGW President Thomas...
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Court Restricts DOGE Access To Treasury Systems Amid Workers’ Legal Challenge

A federal district court has severely restricted access to Treasury Department data systems, which include Medicare beneficiary information, by the Department of Government Efficiency entity led by Elon Musk, in response to a legal challenge filed by government workers, setting a deadline next week for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to respond to a pending proposal to halt DOGE operations at the department. “The Defendants shall file a response to the Plaintiffs' Motion for a Preliminary Injunction on or before February...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 02/13/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 7
Author: 

The Senate Budget Committee Sets Markup

The Senate Budget Committee will mark up a fiscal 2025 budget resolution next week that will focus on border security, bolstering the military and energy independence, Chair Lindsay Graham (R-SC) announced Wednesday (Feb. 5), a move toward the two-bill option championed by Senate Majority Leder John Thune (R-SD) as House Republicans reportedly remain divided on the scope of their own resolution, including the breadth of potential cuts to Medicaid. The House GOP had been eying about $2.2 trillion in cuts...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 02/13/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 7
Author: 

Health Experts Alarmed By DOGE Infiltration In CMS; Dems Call For Hearings

CMS claims that experienced agency officials are collaborating with so-called DOGE officials who, according to the New York Times , gained access to several of the agency’s payment systems Wednesday, and says officials are taking a “thoughtful approach” to finding more efficient use of resources, but health experts and Democratic lawmakers are raising alarms about potential privacy breaches, security threats and harassment that may stem from Elon Musk and DOGE employees gaining influence over CMS and other agencies. “CMS has...
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CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 02/13/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 7
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Paragon Hones In On Phasing Down Medicaid Expansion FMAP; Ending Provider Taxes, State-Directed Payments

Phasing out the enhanced federal matching funds (FMAP) for the Medicaid expansion population, ending state-directed payments and stopping state use of budget gimmicks like provider taxes are among the solutions Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blase told Inside Health Policy the think tank is pushing Congress to pass in its next legislative package -- but Blase noted work requirements and lowering the minimum FMAP for states are still popular reforms among lawmakers looking for payfors, though Paragon isn’t putting...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 02/13/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 7

‘DEI Watchlist’ Targets FDA, CMS Officials

A conservative advocacy organization with ties to Project 2025 has published a “DEI Watchlist” targeting specific officials at HHS and other officials it says are involved in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, alleging the employees are “behind-the-scenes bureaucrats who push divisive agendas that undermine merit, fairness and accountability.” The watchlist has stoked fears among federal employees; it comes as President Donald Trump and his White House DOGE czar Elon Musk demand agencies stop all DEI efforts. Reuters reported Wednesday...
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InsideHealthPolicy.com
FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 02/07/2025
FDA Volume: 
Vol. 31, No. 6
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 02/13/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 7
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