What You Need to Know about Medicare Insolvency
Medicare is in trouble. The Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund, which finances Medicare Part A, already spends more than it brings in, and without help from Congress, the trust fund is projected to become insolvent in just a few years. Unfortunately, the HI trust fund has been down this road before, requiring Congress to take action to […]
Should Hill Staffers Be Paid More?
On June 29, House appropriators signed off on a report to look into whether Members of Congress deserve a pay raise. Does that mean their staff should get a pay raise, too? In Washington, DC, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,630. That’s a tough pill to swallow if you’re a young congressional staffer barely making over […]
Can Democrats Scrap the Filibuster?
The filibuster is a time-honored tradition in the Senate that allows any Senator to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill. Currently, 60 votes are needed in the Senate to end debate and pass most pieces of legislation, a threshold that requires Democrats to have the support of at least 10 Republicans to […]
The Week in Review: May 24-28
Moderna Says Its COVID-19 Vaccine Is 100% Effective in Teens On May 25, Moderna announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is 93% effective in children aged 12-17 after the first dose and 100% effective after the second. Additionally, data from the company’s phase 2/3 clinical trial consisting of 3,700 adolescents identified no serious side effects. Moderna plans to […]
The PHE Was Just Extended. What Does That Mean?
So, what exactly happens to those regulatory flexibilities and emergency measures when the pandemic ends? On April 15, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) extended the PHE for a 90-day period beginning on April 21 and ending on July 19. HHS won’t keep doing this forever – so what happens when the PHE is no […]
PAYGO Cuts Face Uncertainty in Congress
While members of both parties agree the pending Medicare sequester needs to be extended, Republicans don’t seem favorable to waiving PAYGO budget rules to allow additional cuts to be averted. The result is continued uncertainty for health care providers and a likely sign of spending fights to come in Congress. Medicare is currently facing two […]