Summary
Big Picture. The Senate is back for a four-week session, with budget reconciliation on immigration enforcement at the top of Republicans’ to-do list. In a Dear Colleague letter, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) announced Senate Democrats’ plan “to kill the slush fund” [DOJ’s Anti-Weaponization Fund], including through forced amendment votes during voter-a-rama, which could start on Thursday.
The House is back for a two-week session and is scheduled to vote on an array of bills, including the FY 2027 Ag-Rural-FDA appropriations bill and a pair of fraud-focused bills related to TANF and FAFSA that must first go through the House Rules Committee.
Other legislation in the works: FISA reauthorization due June 12, farm bill, and housing legislation.
Health Policy to Watch
- The interim final rule implementing Medicaid work requirements cleared OMB review on Friday, which means we could see the guidance today in the Federal Register at 4:15pm ET. It is statutorily due today. The guidance is anticipated to include a more restrictive definition of medical frailty than the one CMS has conveyed to states, as well as limitations on – or even prohibitions against – self-attestation.
- Fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicaid continues to be a priority for House Republicans. On Wednesday, the Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses will hold an oversight hearing to examine Ohio’s Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver program.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will likely be questioned about the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits and its impact on Marketplace coverage by Democrats at the Senate Finance Committee and Ways and Means Committee hearings this week. According to CMS’ latest report, 1.2 million fewer consumers signed up for coverage during the open enrollment period in 2026 than in 2025.
- Generics, biosimilars, and patent rights will be the focus of a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Thursday. Addressing “patent thickets” is a bipartisan, bicameral priority. The ETHIC Act and the Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act have attracted support from across the political spectrum, with both progressive and conservative cosponsors.
- Senate Democrats have until July 13 to force a vote on a Congressional Review Act resolution to disapprove the WISeR Model that tests the use of technology, such as artificial intelligence, for prior authorization in Traditional Medicare.
Regulatory Update
Completed OMB Review
- Medicaid Work Requirements. Interim Final Rule: Establishing State Community Engagement Requirements for Certain Individuals Under Section 1902(xx) of the Social
- Drug and Device Manufacturers. Notice: Drug and Device Manufacturer Communications With Payors, Formulary Committees, and Similar Entities–Questions and Answers; Revised Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability
Recently Arrived at OMB
- 340B. Prerule: Notice Regarding 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program
- Short-Term Insurance. Proposed Rule: Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance
Pending OMB Review
Coverage and Payment:
- Medicaid Tax Waivers. Proposed Rule: Amending the Indirect Hold Harmless Threshold of Health Care-Related Taxes Security Act
- Managed Care. Proposed Rule: Strengthening the Integrity of Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care, Financing, and Access to Care
- Medicare. Proposed Rules: CY 2027 policy changes and payment rates for hospital outpatient departments, physicians, home health providers, and ESRD facilities
- Marketplace. Proposed Rule: Exchange Pre-Enrollment Eligibility Verification
- ERISA. Proposed Rule: Default Electronic Disclosures by Group Health Plans Under ERISA
- Essential Health Benefits. Notice: Request for Information: Comprehensive Review of the Essential Health Benefits Framework and Typical Employer Standard
- Drug Price Negotiation. Proposed Rule: Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program
Nutrition
- Work Requirements. Proposed Rule: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Modification to Work Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults
- Categorical Eligibility. Proposed Rule: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Reforming Categorical Eligibility
- Cost Sharing. Proposed Rule: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Changes in Federal-State Administrative Cost Sharing
- WIC. Final Rule: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): WIC Online Ordering and Transactions and Food Delivery Revisions to Meet the Needs of a Modern, Data-Driven Program
Other Issues
- Pharmaceuticals. Notice: Oncology Pharmaceuticals: Streamlined Nonclinical Safety Studies for Biologics and Conjugated Products
- Accrediting Organizations. Final Rule: Strengthening Oversight of Accrediting Organizations (AO), Burden Reduction, and Related Provisions
- Immigration. Interim Final Rule: Unaccompanied Children Program Foundational Rule; Update to Include Proof of Identity and Income Verification Standards
- Medication-Assisted Treatment. Final Rule: Implementation of the SUPPORT Act: Dispensing and Administering Controlled Substances for Medication-Assisted Treatment
- HIPAA. Final Rule: HIPAA Privacy Rule: Changes to Support Coordinated Care and Individual Engagement and Reduce Regulatory Burdens
- Discrimination: Final Rule: Rescinding Portions of Department of Health and Human Services Title VI Regulations to Conform More Closely with the Statutory Text and to Implement Executive Order 14281