With only a few weeks left before the August recess, congressional Democrats and Republicans stand trillions of dollars apart on the next coronavirus relief package. The Administration’s priority of accelerating the reopening of the country over providing funding for COVID-19 testing is complicating negotiations within the Republican party. This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is expected to unveil... Read More
WHG - Chart: Key Federal COVID-19 Stimulus Funding Opportunities for Health Care Providers and Hospitals
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has continued to distribute funding, release information, and share data about the allocation of coronavirus relief payments to providers and facilities. Here are the key updates since we last shared our Federal COVID-19 Funding Opportunities for Providers & Hospitals tracking chart in late June: Funding: Provider Relief Fund – HHS announced today that it... Read More
CMS: In Health Affairs Blog, Administrator Verma Speaks to the Impact & Future of the COVID-19 Telehealth Flexibilities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma published a blog post in Health Affairs outlining the impact telehealth has had during the COVID-19 pandemic. The post also provides a glimpse at how the agency is thinking about whether to make certain telehealth flexibilities permanent once the public health emergency (PHE) concludes. The piece begins by outlining... Read More
DOL: RFI on FMLA Implementation; New Employer and Employee Forms; Comments Due Sept. 15
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division released a request for information (RFI) soliciting input on the implementation of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), which entitles employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job protected leave and maintain group health insurance coverage during their leave. The Department also announced new streamlined optional-use forms for... Read More
House: Homeland Security Subcommittees Hold Hearing on Pandemic Supply Preparedness and Response
On Tuesday two House Subcommittees, Preparedness, Response, & Recovery, and Oversight, Management, & Accountability held a virtual hearing to examine the federal government’s COVID-19 response, with a focus on supply issues. As noted in a recent report released by the House Homeland Security Committee, the Committee has repeatedly sought answers from the Trump administration about efforts to respond to shortages... Read More
DOL: Agency Seeks Input on Paid Family and Medical Leave Policies; Comments Due Sept. 14
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a request for information (RFI) seeking industry input on paid family and medical leave to care for family members or one’s own health. The Department states it is collecting this information to understand “the effectiveness of current state- and employer-provided paid leave programs, and how access or lack of access to paid leave... Read More
HHS: Department Seeks Input on the Development of an Economic Mobility Council; Comments Due Oct. 2
The Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) released a request for information (RFI) seeking input from state and local government agencies, local program operators, and the public, on the development of a federal interagency Council on Economic Mobility to promote economic mobility, recovery, and resilience. The Council will be comprised of the heads or delegates of the following agencies:... Read More
CMS: Administration Launches New Nursing Home Initiatives to Increase Testing and Improve Safety and Quality in Hotspots
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it is launching a new COVID-19 testing initiative to increase and expedite testing for nursing homes located in hotspots. As part of the initiative, HHS will procure devices and tests to facilitate on-site testing among nursing home residents and staff. Delivery of one diagnostic test instrument and accompanying tests is... Read More
HHS: Administration Retires CDC's NHSN COVID-19 Reporting Module; Changes Effective July 15
The Trump administration sent a letter to hospitals telling them to stop reporting COVID-19 data through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Effective July 15, 2020, hospitals should submit data by 5pm ET daily only through one of the following systems: TeleTracking; State health departments – To exercise this option states must first... Read More
NIH: COVID-19 Investigational Vaccine Triggers Immune Response with Limited Side Effects
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that an experimental COVID-19 vaccine has generated an immune response. According to results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the investigational vaccine, mRNA-1273, manufactured by Moderna, was found to be “generally well tolerated and triggered neutralizing antibody activity in healthy adults.” The Phase 1 clinical trial, sponsored by the National Institute... Read More
CMS: New Guidance Extending Compliance Timeline for Implementation of HCBS Settings Rule Due to COVID-19
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new guidance to state Medicaid directors extending the compliance timeline for implementation of the home and community-based services (HCBS) Settings Rule, due to challenges with implementation and compliance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The HCBS Settings Rule, which went into effect on March 17, 2014, requires that all home... Read More
HHS: State COVID-19 Testing Plans Released
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the May and June COVID-19 Testing Plans from all states, territories, and localities. State Testing Plans are to provide a testing strategy for COVID-19 and include details on target numbers of tests per month, response to surge testing, and how to reach vulnerable populations, among other parameters. Pursuant to the Coronavirus... Read More
House: Committee on Homeland Security Discusses the Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Communities of Color
The House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, & Recovery held a virtual hearing to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic response and its disproportionate impact on communities of color. Echoing the sentiments of additional congressional committees that have discussed disparities across minority communities during the pandemic, the Subcommittee focused its discussion on how to improve federal emergency response... Read More
HHS: Additional $4 Billion in Provider Relief Funds Will Flow to Newly Eligible Safety Net Hospitals and Rural Health Providers
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an additional $4 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) disbursements. $3 billion will be distributed to an estimated 215 safety net hospitals that have less than 3% profitability averaged over 2 or more of its last 5 cost report filings, and $1 billion will go to an estimated 500 small city... Read More
WHG - Weekly, July 13-17
President Trump is expected to issue three executive orders (EOs) intended to lower prescription drug prices. While their details and timing remain unclear, HHS Secretary Alex Azar has noted President Trump’s priorities on drug pricing: ensuring the U.S. does not pay higher prices for prescription drugs than other countries, lowering prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries, and allowing importation of... Read More
Other: Biden-Sanders Task Force Publishes Broad Set of Policy Recommendations; Includes Racial Inequities, Public Option, & Medicare Drug Negotiation
On Wednesday, July 8, 2020, a task force led by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, and in partnership with Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), outlined the actions a Democratic Administration would take if put in power after the November election. In its 110-page document, the group speaks to an expansive set of cross-cutting issues, focusing substantially on health care, racial... Read More
HELP: Democratic Health Leader Murray Releases Recommendations on COVID-19 Testing
Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released a new report, “A Nation in Crisis: The Consequences of Federal Leadership Failures on the COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing System” (press release). Under the direction of Ranking Member Murray, Democratic staff of the Senate HELP Committee examined the COVID-19 diagnostic testing landscape by conducting reports with... Read More
NIH: Clinical Trials Network Launched to Test COVID-19 Vaccines and Preventions
The NIH announced the launch of the COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network (COVPN), a clinical trials network that aims to enroll thousands of volunteers in large-scale clinical trials testing investigational vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. COVPN is a part of Operation Warp Speed and the network will use a harmonized vaccine protocol developed by the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV)... Read More
House Appropriations: Subcommittee Advances FY 2021 Labor-HHS-Education Funding Bill
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies convened a markup of the draft text of the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations legislation. The Subcommittee favorably reported the bill, as currently drafted, to the full Committee by a roll call vote (9-6). The legislation is... Read More
Senate Appropriations: Appropriations Committee Discusses Operation Warp Speed, Discusses Safety, Distribution, and Pricing Concerns
The Senate Committee on Appropriations convened a hearing to discuss Operation Warp Speed and the research, manufacturing, and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. Witnesses represented multiple federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and testified to the current strategies and phases in place in hopes to have a vaccine... Read More
Senate: Bipartisan Letter Urges Action and Clarity from CMS on COVID-19 Telehealth Flexibilities
Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) have joined the ongoing discussions around making the COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, having submitted a bipartisan letter urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) to be more transparent with its plans for the future of telehealth. Specifically, the senators - joined by several others on both sides of the... Read More
E&C: Bicameral Democratic Health Committee Leaders Request HHS, Labor, and Treasury Clarify Guidance on COVID-19 Testing
House and Senate Democratic Health Committee leaders are calling on the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Treasury to revisit and clarify guidance issued by the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) on COVID-19 testing (press release; letter). Specifically, they have an issue with the following guidance: Q5. Is COVID-19 testing for surveillance or employment purposes required to... Read More
CMS: Agency Anticipates 1.6 Percent Increase for ESRD Facilities in CY 2021; Includes Provisions to Increase Use of Home Dialysis
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed calendar year (CY) 2021 prospective payment system (PPS) for end stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities (proposed rule; fact sheet). What it is. The proposed rule outlines ESRD PPS payment policies applying to dialysis facilities beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2020. The rule also includes proposed changes to the... Read More
WHG - Weekly, July 6-10
The House begins its month-long legislative sprint this week, with the goal of passing all 12 fiscal year 2021 spending bills in the House before the five-week August recess. The Senate begins a two-week recess with negotiations on the next coronavirus relief package not expected to begin until the Senate returns the week of July 20. President Trump may also... Read More
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