It’s the beginning of the end of summer recess. House members have made their way back to Washington for one week before they take another short break, as Senators still have another week before returning to town. Meanwhile, the administration is looking to keep its efforts on prescription drug pricing in the news, and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) will hold their September meeting. With that, let’s get into it. Welcome to the Week Ahead!
The Administration
New most-favored-nation (MFN) drug pricing deals are likely to be announced on August 31, this time with mid-sized biopharma companies. Reportedly, drugmakers will provide their products to Medicaid programs at MFN prices in exchange for tariff relief and exemptions from Medicare pilot discount programs. The Trump administration will certainly be looking to message these deals as a win in health care affordability to highlight ahead of the midterm elections. However, we expect Democratic members of Congress to combat that messaging by continuing to highlight the need for more details on which to judge the impact of these deals on prescription drug prices.
The Senate
The Senate is still enjoying their recess.
In contrast, Congressional advisory body MedPAC is kicking off their 2026-2027 analytic cycle with their first public meeting on September 3rd and 4th. The upcoming year will focus on numerous topics including recent trends in Medicare Part D spending, Medicare’s quality measurement and value-based payment programs, and Medicare Advantage utilization and satisfaction. As always, MedPAC will also be doing its annual work to consider the adequacy of Medicare’s fee-for-service (FFS) payments and updates.
The House
The House returns to consider a Senate-passed continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government through December 11, 2026. House Republican leadership has indicated that they are hoping to pass the measure this week to avoid a government shutdown before the elections and will begin consideration as soon as September 1, according to the House Majority Leader’s weekly schedule. While the CR is mostly a continuation of existing federal funding, the Senate version did include a provision that would prevent new guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on federal grantmaking from going to effect until December 11.
Health Care Hearing This Week
- September 2: House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on VA electronic health record modernization updates
There You Have It
The summer calm is nearly over but we hope the good memories will linger longer. What has been your favorite summer memory? Let us know. Make it a great week!