With the expiration of the continuing resolution (P.L. 117-70) funding the federal government one month away (February 18), top congressional appropriators appear to be nearing a deal on a fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus government funding bill. Whether a COVID-19 supplemental package will be bundled with the FY 2022 funding bill remains an open question, as congressional Democrats wait for... Read More
WHG - Weekly, January 10-14
COVID-19 The Biden Administration faces a crucial week, as President Biden and top health officials try to ensure public confidence in the administration’s COVID-19 response, especially as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) faces harsh criticism over its new isolation and quarantine guidelines for the general population and schools. The President is scheduled to deliver remarks on the... Read More
WHG - Weekly, January 3-7, 2022
Congressional Democrats return with the same to-do list but with a more tenuous political landscape. Following Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) announcement that he will not support the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) as currently proposed, Democrats will work to revise the package to a more pared down version that may possibly exclude some of its more contentious elements. As another... Read More
WHG - Weekly, December 13-17
Please note that Wynne Health Group will be closed for the winter holidays beginning Mon., Dec. 20 through Fri., Dec. 31, reopening Mon., Jan. 3, 2022. We are grateful for your continued partnership and look forward to our work together in the new year. Happy Holidays! Reconciliation Over the weekend, the Senate Finance (SFC) and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions... Read More
WHG - Weekly, December 6-10
This week, the House may vote on legislation to delay several Medicare payment cuts that would take effect on January 1, 2022. The bill may include: Extending the temporary 3.75 percent increase to the physician fee schedule; Delaying cuts as large as 15 percent to clinical laboratory tests; and Extending the moratorium on 2 percent Medicare sequester. The House is... Read More
WHG - Weekly, November 29-December 3
Congress enters its busiest season with less than 10 scheduled working days before lawmakers adjourn on December 13. Fiscal Year 2021 funding – With the current continuing resolution set to expire on December 3, lawmakers are expected to vote on a new CR to fund the government at least until mid-December, though it could be extended through late January. Debt... Read More
WHG - Weekly, November 15-19
Today, President Biden will sign the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) into law. The bipartisan infrastructure deal provides $65 billion for broadband infrastructure to expand access to reliable high-speed internet, which is widely recognized as a social determinant of health (see our recent Issue Brief on Medicare telehealth coverage and health equity for a discussion on the intersection... Read More
WHG - Weekly, November 8-12
This week, President Biden will sign the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) into law. Meanwhile, House Democrats are waiting for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to score the Build Back Better Act (BBBA, H.R. 5376). Five moderate Democrats vowed to vote for the BBBA “in its current form” if the CBO score aligns with the estimates presented by... Read More
WHG - Weekly, November 1-5
Democrats appear to be getting close to a compromise on prescription drug pricing reforms – including versions of Medicare drug price negotiation, Part D redesign, inflation rebates that are more moderate than originally proposed in H.R. 3 (WHG summary of the most pertinent drug pricing proposal provisions in the 117th Congress). We could see the House vote on the Build... Read More
WHG - Weekly, October 25-29
Infrastructure and Budget Reconciliation House Democrats will soon face a hard deadline to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The 30-day surface transportation funding extension (P.L. 117-44) expires on October 31. Absent congressional action, the Department of Transportation would be forced to furlough thousands of workers. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) plans to hold a vote of the... Read More
WHG - Issue Brief: Health Equity Implications of Potential Telehealth Reform under Medicare
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the role of telehealth in the U.S. health care system. While the Medicare telehealth benefit remained largely unutilized prior to the pandemic, the need for health care amidst the COVID-19 shutdowns rendered telehealth the only viable option for many beneficiaries to access care. To make access to telehealth available to all Medicare beneficiaries, the federal... Read More
WHG - Weekly, October 18-22
As Democrats seek to shrink their budget reconciliation package, their strategy on how to trim the health care measures is unclear. The question for Democrats remains: include fewer things with longer authorizations or vice versa? The size of the package will also depend on the savings generated from lowering prescription drug prices. Medicare and Medicaid We will see the debate... Read More
WHG - Side-by-Side of Live Drug Pricing Proposals Under Consideration for Reconciliation
Amid ongoing reconciliation deliberations, the Wynne Health Group presents a side-by-side of the most pertinent drug pricing proposal provisions currently under consideration for inclusion in the final reconciliation package. The chart presents provisions from the following: The Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means reconciliation recommendations; The House Moderate Democrats Reduced Costs and Continued Cures Act; The 2020 Senate Finance... Read More
WHG - Weekly, October 12-15
Today, the House is expected to pass the Senate-approved measure increasing the debt ceiling, giving lawmakers until early December to reach a longer-term deal or pass another short-term fix. December 3 is when the U.S. is projected to hit the debt ceiling and when the continuing resolution funding the federal government for fiscal year 2022 expires. As for infrastructure, October... Read More
WHG - Weekly, October 4-8
Over the weekend, President Biden signed a 30-day extension to funding for surface transportation programs (H.R. 5434) – effectively buying Democrats more time to reach a consensus on the topline number and policies of the Build Back Better Act (budget reconciliation package). October 31st is the new deadline for the House to pass the Senate-approved bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs... Read More
WHG - Weekly, September 27-October 1
A remarkably busy week lies ahead, and the stakes are high – possible government shutdown on Friday, potential debt default in October, and 2022 midterm elections. Government funding for fiscal year (FY) 2022 and the debt ceiling – Today, the Senate will vote on a procedural motion to move to a floor vote of the House-passed continuing resolution (R. 5305)... Read More
WHG - Weekly, September 20-24
Continuing Resolution This week, the House is slated to vote on a continuing resolution to avoid an October 1 government shutdown. The duration of the stopgap measure has not yet been announced, but Democratic leaders are eyeing early December – possibly December 3 or 10 – just before the scheduled holiday recess. The potential end-of-year package could also serve as... Read More
WHG - Weekly, September 13-17
This week, the House continues to mark up their legislative recommendations for the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. Recommendations are due this Wednesday, September 15, but that date is non-binding. House and Senate Democrats intend to pre-conference their bill before floor votes to help move the process along. However, the timing of the votes remains unclear given a slew of... Read More
WHG - Weekly, September 7-10
With Congress in recess this week, we recap lawmakers’ jam-packed to-do list for this month: Budget Reconciliation (September 15) – Committees are drafting and marking up legislative language in response to the reconciliation instructions in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget resolution (Con.Res. 14), with a soft deadline of September 15. The $3.5 trillion package is chock full of major... Read More
WHG - Weekly, August 30-September 3
Medicare The highly anticipated and long overdue 2021 Medicare Trustees Report is expected to be released tomorrow, August 31. With Medicare reform a major component of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package – in terms of both generating savings through drug pricing reform and spending for vision, hearing, and dental benefits – the projected insolvency date of the Hospital Insurance... Read More
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