Congress

CMS says the Independence at Home Demonstration saved about $9.1 billion in its third year, once incentive payments to practices were taken into account -- results praised by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ed Markey (D-MA), who would like to make the demonstration permanent.

House Ways & Means Chairman Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) said Tuesday (Feb. 12) that he asked HHS Secretary Alex Azar to consider making prescription drug makers pay rebates to Medicare if they hike Part B drug prices faster than the rate of inflation.

Home care organizations were pleased with a bipartisan Senate bill introduced Monday (Feb. 11) that would keep CMS from implementing any behavioral adjustment as part of a new home health pay system until the agency sees how providers react.

FDA stakeholders are applauding the $269 million increase in FDA funding included in a government spending package passed by Congress Thursday (Feb. 14) to avert another shutdown.

In an in-person meeting, Senate Finance Committee Democrats on Wednesday (Feb. 13) asked HHS Secretary Alex Azar how the administration plans to eliminate Medicare Part D rebates without letting drug makers pocket that money instead of sharing it with seniors, according to a Democratic committee aide.

Democratic leaders of the House Energy & Commerce Committee want to know what CMS plans to do about states that are not fully complying with federal requirements to provide Medicaid coverage of abortions in cases of rape, incest or danger to the pregnant person’s life.

A bipartisan group of eight House lawmakers is seeking support for a bill to permanently repeal the Affordable Care Act's 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices.

Democrats are embracing proposals that would lower the Medicare eligibility age to either 50 or 55 in an effort to expand health coverage without fully upending the current system, but industry groups are wary of the idea and warn it could be as disruptive as moving to Medicare for All. 

Prominent House Republicans are discussing legislation to obviate the ongoing legal threat to the Affordable Care Act by fully repealing the individual coverage requirement, but Democrats are unwilling to tamper with the Obamacare statute and don’t want to make any moves that could threaten the health law or tamper with the ongoing appeals process.