Insight Entries – Page 11

Impact Health - Weekly, August 2-6

Infrastructure The Senate pushes to wrap up infrastructure this week before adjourning for summer recess. A vote on final passage of the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package (including $550 billion in new spending) has not yet been scheduled but is expected in the coming days. In the legislative text released last night, the health-related pay-fors are: Extending the Medicare... Read More

Impact Health - Side by Side of Medicaid Expansion Gap Bills

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and other Senate Democrats have asserted that their forthcoming $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package will include provisions addressing the Medicaid expansion coverage gap. Obstinate refusal by holdout states to expand Medicaid, despite the availability of new financial incentives provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, July 26-30

With only two weeks left before the scheduled August recess, senators are racing to finalize the legislative text of the $579 billion bipartisan infrastructure agreement as soon as today. The pay-fors are among the issues still being debated. At the moment, lawmakers are considering the following health-related pay-fors: Repurposing unallocated CARES Act Provider Relief Fund (PRF). Up to $43.7 billion... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, July 19-23

With only two weeks until the August recess, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pushing for significant progress on the two tracks of infrastructure legislation. Today, Majority Leader Schumer is expected to file cloture on the legislative vehicle for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, upping the pressure on the bipartisan group to deliver legislative text for their $974 billion infrastructure... Read More

Impact Health - Side-by-Side of Health Technology Assessment Models

In light of the growing interest in drug-value assessment agencies in the Administration and Congress, the Wynne Health Group presents a side-by-side of the most relevant health-technology assessment (HTA) models and proposed policies. While H.R. 3 negotiations relies on international reference prices to set an upper payment limit, Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) has expressed interest in substituting domestic... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, July 12-16

The trifecta of legislative priorities – traditional infrastructure, budget reconciliation (a catchall for human infrastructure and health care items), and fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations – continues to take shape this week. As the group of bipartisan senators transform their framework for nearly $1 trillion for traditional infrastructure into legislation, Senate Democrats are crafting the FY 2022 budget resolution that... Read More

Impact Health - Updated 2021 Legislative and Regulatory Outlook

WHG has prepared its Updated Legislative and Regulatory Outlook for 2021, based largely on changes reflected in the Administration’s recently released Spring 2021 Unified Agenda. As in previous versions of our annual outlook, we provide a comprehensive line-up of key federal health care policy developments we expect to see throughout the course of the coming year and their approximate timing... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, July 5-9

Congress is in recess this week and returns next Monday, July 12, after which a busy three weeks will follow for lawmakers to work on infrastructure, budget reconciliation, and fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations. A brief recap on where things stand with these three legislative priorities follows. Traditional Infrastructure The House passed Democrats’ INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684) last... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, June 28-July 2

Infrastructure The “two-track” strategy for infrastructure will continue to take shape this week. The Senate will transform the $973 billion bipartisan framework for traditional infrastructure endorsed by President Biden into legislation. The House will take up Democrats’ INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684), a $715 billion package that would reauthorize surface transportation programs expiring September 30 and provide funding for... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, June 14-18

Negotiations over infrastructure legislation continue, with a bipartisan group of 10 senators leading the discussions with the White House. Like the Biden Administration’s talks with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the main sticking point is how to pay for infrastructure investments. Whether the new bipartisan proposal, even if supported by the White House, can garner the 60 votes needed to... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, June 7-11

Infrastructure The Biden Administration continues to leave the door open to a bipartisan infrastructure package, despite making only little progress on its pay-fors. President Joe Biden rejected Republican’s $928 billion counteroffer, but will meet again with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) later today. Notably, Biden offered to forgo the corporate tax hike, and instead increase the global minimum tax. ... Read More

Impact Health - Key Federal Public Option Bills in 117th Congress; Side-by-Side Comparison

The President’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2022 reiterates the Biden Administration’s plans for “creating a public option that would be available through the ACA [Affordable Care Act] marketplaces” but does not include specific policies to advance the reform – a central pillar to Biden’s presidential campaign. Absent action or direction from the Administration, Congressional Democratic health leaders are forging... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, June 1-4

President Joe Biden will meet with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) on Wednesday, June 3, to continue their negotiations over an elusive infrastructure package. While the Biden Administration is encouraged by Senate Republicans’ latest infrastructure proposal, the window for reaching a deal appears to be closing. Over the weekend, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that “clear direction” on how to... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, May 24-28

With the Biden Administration’s soft deadline of having a compromise on infrastructure solidified by Memorial Day, this could be the last week of consequential negotiations before the White House shifts to the Democrat-only budget reconciliation track. The White House and Senate Republicans remain far apart on fundamental issues – price tag, scope, and most crucially, pay-fors. Senate Republicans most recently... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, May 17-21

Infrastructure Negotiations over the infrastructure package continue to intensify this week as President Joe Biden seeks a bipartisan deal, ideally by the end of the month. While Biden and Republican lawmakers expressed optimism after their meeting last week, they remain far apart on fundamental issues – price tag, scope, and most crucially, pay-fors. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)... Read More

Impact Health - Overview of Recent Developments on Federal Telehealth Policy

As federal policymakers continue to discuss the future of telehealth post-pandemic, a number of bills have been introduced and re-introduced on ways to expand access to telehealth under Medicare. To support a fuller understanding of these developments, WHG has collated a list of the key telehealth bills that have been introduced during the current legislative session with some additional commentary... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, May 10-14

Infrastructure The White House is ramping up its push for a bipartisan deal on infrastructure. President Joe Biden will meet with Democratic and Republican leadership from the House and Senate on Wednesday and top Republican committee leaders on Thursday. These meetings are expected to focus on the scope and price tag of Biden’s broader infrastructure package (American Jobs Plan and... Read More

Impact Health - Weekly, May 3-7

Prescription Drug Pricing and Health Care Reforms Following President Joe Biden’s call for prescription drug price negotiation this year in his address to Congress, key Democratic lawmakers are pushing to add the proposal to the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan. While Democrats likely have the votes to pass the drug pricing measure in the House, they potentially face an uphill... Read More

Impact Health - April 2021 Edition: Catalogue of Health Agency Guidance and Government Response to COVID-19

In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. government agencies have continued the frequent release of fact sheets and guidance documents for health care and public stakeholders. To help navigate the outpouring of information, the Wynne Health Group has maintained the attached and newly updated catalogue, intended to capture and organize the full array of relevant guidance for health... Read More

Impact Health - Roundup of Key CMMI Developments

As the Biden-Harris Administration continues to establish its health care priorities, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is again emerging as a key part of how the Administration will advance its agenda. First, as a brief recap, CMMI has announced a number of delays, review periods, and other changes to ongoing and upcoming demonstration models since the new... Read More