They Say Health Care Policy is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
It’s Patriots’ Day, and our very own Jennifer Bell is taking this whole marathon-not-a-sprint thing seriously by tackling the Boston Marathon again. In DC this week, the drone and missile attack on Israel from Iran will dominate floor activity even as Congress has a slew of hearings ahead of the April 22 break for Passover. […]
Health Care Policy in the 2024 State of the Union Address
Health Care Policy in the 2024 State of the Union Address Heading into election season, President Biden delivered his annual State of the Union Address with a number of familiar health care policy mentions. This blog post focuses on what the President talked about, the implications of those issues for 2024, and the chances of […]
What Happened, What You Missed: December 11-15, 2023
HHS Finalizes Rule on Interoperability, AI Transparency A newly finalized rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) marks the federal government’s first attempt to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. Specifically, the rule establishes transparency requirements for AI and predictive algorithms that are used to support clinical decision […]
What Happened, What You Missed: December 4-December 8, 2023
White House Proposes Using March-In Rights to Lower Drug Costs The Biden administration proposed guidance on Thursday outlining factors that federal agencies should consider in determining whether to use march-in rights to seize the patents of certain expensive drugs. Codified in the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, march-in authority allows the government to take over patents […]
What Happened, What You Missed: November 27-December 1, 2023
Biden Invokes DPA to Address Drug Shortages On Monday, President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) during an inaugural meeting of the Council on Supply Chain Resilience to ease drug shortages. The announcement comes amid shortages of penicillin, Adderall, and certain cancer drugs that have affected doctors and patients across the nation. The […]
What Happened, What You Missed: October 30-November 3, 2023
White House Orders HHS to Develop AI Safety Program The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is tasked with establishing a safety program to document and address artificial intelligence (AI) harms and unsafe practices in health care, according to an executive order (EO) signed by President Joe Biden. The EO attempts to strike a balance between […]
What Happened, What You Missed: July 24-28, 2023
Odds of Shutdown Grow as Appropriations Gridlock Continues The White House is urging Congress to agree to a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open after the current fiscal year (FY) ends on September 30. To date, only the House has advanced an appropriations bill for FY 2024, although the Senate is […]
What Happened, What You Missed: February 13-17, 2023
Administration Proposes New Medicare Drug Pricing Reforms On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a trio of drug pricing proposals that would standardize how much Medicare beneficiaries pay for certain generic drugs, explore new ways for Medicaid to pay for expensive cell and gene therapies, and test ways to pay for […]
What Happened, What You Missed: January 30-February 3
Biden Administration to End PHE in May The White House announced on Monday that the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will officially come to an end on May 11. Since it was first declared on January 31, 2020, the PHE has been renewed 12 times at 90-day intervals, with the most recent renewal being January 11, 2023. […]
What Happened, What You Missed: January 16-20
Administration to Crack Down on Antipsychotics in Nursing Homes The Biden administration is getting ready to target the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes, according to an announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The announcement is part of a larger initiative announced in October to strengthen oversight of the nation’s poorest performing nursing […]