On Monday, Republicans in the U.S. Senate released their own version of legislation for President Donald Trump's agenda. The bill would cut Medicaid even more aggressively than the bill passed by the House of Representatives but eases up on subjects that are not health related.
The new proposal released by the Senate Finance Committee...National News
Last Friday, the Senate Finance Committee held the confirmation hearing for Dr. Mehmet Oz, former daytime television host and President Donald Trump's pick to helm the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Oz has been publicly scrutinized for his investments and public support for the Medicare Advantage program, and sought to...National News
The Senate Finance Committee will hold the hearing for Dr. Mehmet Oz's nomination for the position of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator on Friday, March 14.
The highly-anticipated hearing comes a month after the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, who...National News
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is one step closer to becoming the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after clearing the Republican-led Senate Finance Committee in a party-line vote.
Kennedy participated in two days of hearings last week -- the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday followed by the Senate Health,...National News
In the Senate Finance committee confirmation hearing for the Department of Health and Human Services, anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK) was championed by Republicans despite being unable to answer basic questions about his plans for Medicaid and other payer programs. He is expected to attend the Senate Health, Education,...National News
This week, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking Republican Mike Crapo (Idaho) released a white paper requesting public input on the Medicare physician payment system, signaling that reform could be included in the year-end healthcare package that is expected to include permanent telehealth expansion.
The paper...
The government is publicly reacting to the disruption in healthcare services caused by the Change Healthcare cyberattack and subsequent extended outage, but tangible consequences for UnitedHealth Group have yet to emerge.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee met this week to discuss the attack, but according to Modern Healthcare,...
The congressional scrutiny of Medicare Advantage continues with advocacy organizations voicing support for increased oversight and the introduction of bills that would curb some of the program's most unpopular practices.
In October, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on deceptive marketing tactics by Medicare Advantage plans...National News
Last week, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the topic of "cracking down on deceptive practices" related to the advertisement of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
The hearing covered a long list of issues with third-party marketers who represent MA plans, including allegations of false information, harassment, switching...National News
Capitol Hill has turned its eye to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), culminating in a new package of measures introduced by leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee that seeks to bring PBMs under more careful regulatory authority.
In February, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforced the very...
Lawmakers and stakeholders are still very upset with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) plan to cut payments to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program and to enforce regulations against MA plans that have benefitted financially from improper overpayments. This week, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra defended the rule in two...
Last week, Kaiser Health News (KHN) won a lawsuit with the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to compel the agency to release 90 federal audits of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans from the years 2011 through 2013.
The information contained in these audits demonstrates that overpayments have consistently been made to...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have heard beneficiary complaints about predatory marketing tactics by Medicare Advantage (MA) companies and is taking action.
In August, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, began an investigation into deceptive marketing practices . Last week, the...
March 23 was the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a report to highlight the ways in which the ACA is "the strongest it has ever been" due to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and other efforts by the Biden administration to strengthen Americans' access to...
Following months of tense negotiations between moderate Congressional Democrats and the White House, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) ended any hopes for passing President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Bill on Sunday. This leaves many of the sorely needed healthcare spending and reform initiatives in limbo, although some Democrats hope to pass...National News
The Senate voted Monday to reopen the government, ending a three-day standoff that left federal agencies shuttered and hundreds of thousands of workers furloughed.
The House is expected to approve the bill later and send it to President Trump, allowing the government to completely reopen on Tuesday.
Democrats who supported the...National News
Trump's first choice for HHS Secretary, Tom Price, resigned amid reports of inappropriate travel expenses.
Alex Azar, a former HHS official and pharmaceutical executive, will go before the Senate Finance Committee 10 a.m. Jan. 9.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said in a statement reported in The Hill:
Mr. Azar has...National News
Nearly 90 percent of children in CHIP are in families with annual incomes below twice the poverty level (about $49,000 for a family of four).
The current appropriation runs out at the end of this month, and many states will exhaust their allotments of federal money later this year or early next year. The agreement that extends...
