Medicaid proponents weigh in as potentially big cuts come under consideration on Capitol Hill
Feb. 26 update: In a vote on the evening of Feb. 25, the House passed the budget resolution. Specifics of the spending cuts will now be drafted by the respective House committees, and the House and Senate will then have to agree on the final bill. Supporters of healthcare providers and consumers are growing increasingly…
Deadline nears for deciding whether to partake in $2.8 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield settlement
In less than two weeks, healthcare providers face a deadline to decide whether to stay in a record-setting settlement stemming from a class-action lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS). The $2.8 billion settlement, a portion of which is available to any provider that furnished items or services to a Blues plan member between July…
Trump administration starts to tweak the Affordable Care Act as subsidy debate looms
Coming off a period of record enrollment, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplaces face the prospect of constriction in upcoming years. The Trump administration quickly moved to limit federal funding for a program that helps people select an ACA health plan. On Feb. 14, the administration announced that funding for the ACA Navigator program…
RFK Jr. officially becomes HHS secretary as pressing healthcare policy questions mount
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in Feb. 13 as the new secretary of HHS, and current events in healthcare policy make clear that he’ll be busy in the role. With the Senate having confirmed him by a partisan vote of 52-48, Kennedy faces urgent matters aside from generating momentum for his signature policy of…
New medical debt rule already is just about null and void
The future is shaky at best for a new rule preventing medical debt from appearing on consumer credit reports. The Biden administration’s leadership at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published the regulations in mid-January, with an effective date of March 17. But the Trump administration pushed back the effective date back by 90 days,…
New tariffs are expected to strain the healthcare supply chain
March 3 update: Trump says the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico will begin March 4 as scheduled, while the tariff on China is doubling to 20%. Tariffs implemented by the Trump administration will affect costs in the healthcare supply chain, and the impact would be expected to grow if the original plan for the…
Various 340B issues mean potential headaches for providers in 2025
The 340B Drug Pricing Program, a key source of cost savings for participating hospitals, faces intensifying pressure in the early part of the new year. Drug companies are pursuing efforts to limit the ability of hospitals to realize their full allotment of savings, while Congress eyes the program as a possible way to trim federal…
Latest on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces: Will recent enrollment surge be short-lived?
In its final days, the Biden administration tried to cement gains made during the past few years in the uptake of insurance coverage provided through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. A final rule published Jan. 15 seeks to carry the recent momentum into 2026 via small steps and technical updates such as changes to…
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. articulates his views on chronic disease, vaccines, Medicaid
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will seek to chart a new course for U.S. healthcare if he becomes HHS secretary, he explained during a Jan. 29 confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. “President Trump has asked me to end the chronic disease epidemic and make America healthy again because I’m in a unique position to…
Medicaid funding questions swirl after White House orders widespread spending pause (updated)
Jan. 29 update: The White House on Wednesday retracted the OMB memo implementing the general pause of federal grant and loan spending, saying a stringent review of agency spending nonetheless will continue and funding for agencies and programs could still be frozen if deemed to be used in a way that’s contrary to the administration’s…