Articles and Blogs

House Ways and Means Committee Moves Health Care-Related Bills On September 17, the House Ways and Means Committee marked up group bills, including health care-related legislation that would expand the religious liberty exemption to the individual mandate. The second bill would allow individuals to use health savings accounts (“HSAs”) and similar vehicles to use... READ MORE

HRSA Issues Omnibus 340B Guidance On August 27, the Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) issued omnibus guidance on the 340B Drug Discount Program via the Federal Register. The proposed guidance would clarify the definition of a 340B patient, contract pharmacy arrangements, audit procedures and other related provisions.  Earlier this year, the House Energy... READ MORE

Congress Begins August Recess On August 5, Senate leaders determined that no further action was likely on pending legislative matters and called for the start of the August recess break.  Prior to adjourning, the Senate passed amended measures seeking an adjustment of the management of electronic health records on patient encounters in ambulatory surgical... READ MORE

Hospital Payment Bills Introduced in the House On July 29, the House Ways and Means Committee introduced a number of bills seeking to reform Medicare’s payment to hospitals. The bills are said to be part of a larger hospital-related bill that will be introduced this fall. Health Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) introduced H.R.... READ MORE

Ways and Means Subcommittee Holds Hearing on MedPAC Recommendations On July 22, the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the recommendations on hospital payment and access to care issues made in a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (“MedPAC”) report to Congress in June. Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) said the shift of services... READ MORE

CMS Issues Proposed Rule for Long-Term Care Facilities On July 13, CMS issued a 403-page proposed rule that if finalized would be the most comprehensive set of revisions to long-term care facilities since 1991.  The proposed regulations would affect a wide range of issues including hospital admissions, initiatives to prevent infections, the expansion of residents’ choices... READ MORE

Proposed Physician Fee Schedule Contains Significant Stark Law Revisions Late on July 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published the Physician Fee Schedule for 2016 in the form of a proposed rule.  While the measure would make changes to the Physician Fee Schedule and other Medicare Part B payment policies, it... READ MORE

Supreme Court Rules for White House in ACA Subsidies Case On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act’s (“ACA”) health insurance subsidies can continue to flow to residents of states that are using HealthCare.gov.  The 6-3 decision in King v. Burwell preserves the structure of the ACA and marks... READ MORE

MedPAC Releases June Report to Congress On June 15, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (“MedPAC”) released its June 2015 Report to Congress. The MedPAC report makes recommendations regarding a new payment system for hospitals to the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over the Medicare program. The report compares the cost that Medicare pays for short... READ MORE

Health-Related Bills Tee-Up for Possible Senate Finance Markup The Senate Finance Committee is expected to mark up a number of health care bills that address issues regarding observation status notification and anti-fraud procedures. Legislation that could potentially be marked up by the committee include: the Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act... READ MORE