THIS WEEK’S DOSE

This week in Congress and the Administration, several key hearings and proposed rules were discussed that could have significant impacts on the healthcare industry.

In the Senate HELP Committee, members explored potential solutions to the negative impacts of medical debt, highlighting the disparity in healthcare access and outcomes in the United States compared to other industrialized nations. The Senate Aging Committee focused on legislation to increase transparency in healthcare to reduce prices, while the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee discussed AI and data privacy protections.

On the legislative front, the House Appropriations Committee advanced the FY 2025 Labor-HHS Funding Bill, which includes controversial components such as a 7% cut to the US Department of Health & Human Services and anti-abortion provisions. The Senate also passed a bill addressing anticompetitive pharmaceutical practices to make it easier to bring biosimilars to market.

In the Administration, CMS released proposed rules for the CY 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Hospital Outpatient PPS, with changes to payment policies and quality measures. Additionally, the ONC released the HTI-2 Proposed Rule focusing on patient engagement, IT certification, and information blocking.

In other news, the FTC released a report on anticompetitive behavior by pharmacy benefit managers, and CMS launched the GUIDE Model for dementia care. The House Committee Chairs requested systematic reviews of ACA marketplace enrollment, and GAO released reports on HHS SUD treatment guidance and DOD TRICARE directories.

Overall, these developments signal potential changes and challenges ahead for the healthcare industry. Stay tuned for more updates in next week’s Diagnosis.