On January 17, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule on prior authorization (PA) and interoperability. The rule sets new deadlines for plans to respond to prior authorization requests and allows beneficiaries to have more transparency into any PA decisions.
On January 11, 2024, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on lowering costs of and increasing access to employer-sponsored health plans. There were bipartisan calls for increasing transparency in health care data and pricing, and a robust discussion around the rising costs of employer-sponsored insurance due to consolidation and anti-competition in health care.
On December 13, 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing the use and regulation of AI in the U.S. The main discussion centered around how Congress could pass comprehensive data legislation to set a national standard.
On December 12, 2023, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a markup of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. This bill creates new resources, training, tracking, and education to deal with opioid epidemic.
On December 8, 2023, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held the second day of their December meeting. The Commission discussed payment adequacy and update recommendations for nursing homes, home health agencies, and rehabilitation facilities.
