Articles and Blogs

In a continuing resolution passed to keep the government from shutting down at midnight on September 30, Congress has included provisions that extend the low-volume hospital adjustment and Medicare Dependent Hospital program. The two measures that were set to expire on September 30 have now been extended until December 16, which also corresponds with... READ MORE

On Tuesday, March 15, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (H.R. 2471) that funds the federal government for the remainder of FY 2022. The measure includes funding for health care-related agencies, such as HHS, CMS, HRSA and the FDA, as well as several health care policy riders and... READ MORE

Lawmakers in Washington have reached an agreement on a legislative package that will provide $900 billion in COVID-19 relief and approximately $1.4 trillion in government funding in 2021. Highlights of the health care-related provisions include $3 billion more for the Provider Relief Fund, suspension of the Medicare sequester for the first three months of... READ MORE

At the time of this writing, Joe Biden has been declared the winner and is poised to become the 46th President of the United States. Although President Trump has pledged to pursue legal challenges over alleged voter fraud, there are not believed to be enough votes in dispute that winning them would reverse the... READ MORE

President Trump Issues Federal Emergency Declaration President Trump issued a federal emergency declaration on Friday, freeing up $50 billion in additional funding to help combat the virus. The president’s declaration will give the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) the authority to waive certain regulations and laws in an effort to deliver care... READ MORE

HHS Releases Finalized Interoperability Rules The long-awaited final rules from CMS and HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (“ONC”) were released this morning. The agencies unveiled final versions of companion interoperability and information-blocking proposals. The ONC rule implements Conditions and Maintenance of Certification requirements for health information technology developers. The... READ MORE

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear ACA Validity Case Today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a third major Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) case. The Court will consider whether a legislative change to the ACA’s individual mandate rendered the landmark law unconstitutional. Learn more from a recent Hall Render article here. By granting petitions from... READ MORE

Congress returns this week after its President’s Day district work period. HHS Secretary Azar is testifying before four different congressional committees on the administration’s Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2021 budget request. Also, the White House is expected to submit a formal request for emergency funding for the Coronavirus. The funding is unlikely to become a... READ MORE

Surprise Billing Bonanza in the House On February 7, two House panels released measures aimed at fixing surprise medical bills. The House Ways and Means Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee plan to vote on their bills this week. Lawmakers are trying to move quickly as they hope to include surprise billing... READ MORE

Surprise Billing Continues to Be Hot as More Committees Weigh In The House Ways & Means Committee plans to release its surprise billing legislation this week in preparation for a markup on February 12. The Ways and Means proposal will rely on arbitration for resolving out of network claims and will have to be... READ MORE