Government: Page 10

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    Top Republican calls for 340B reform in long-awaited investigation

    Sen. Bill Cassidy’s report calls on Congress to improve program transparency, like requiring covered entities to show how they use 340B funds. Drug groups praised the findings, while hospitals argued the analysis was limited in scope.

    By • Updated April 28, 2025
  • Trump signs an executive order at the Oval Office.
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    Device developers advance AI plans despite Trump uncertainty

    The Trump administration’s policies have raised questions about how the FDA will regulate AI in medical devices.

    By Elise Reuter • April 24, 2025
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    CMS may be angling to reform Medicaid state directed payments

    A new regulation pending in front of the Office of Management and Budget suggests the Trump administration may be moving to overhaul the controversial financing mechanism.

    By • April 23, 2025
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    Walgreens to pay up to $350M in DOJ opioid settlement

    The Justice Department alleged the pharmacy chain knowingly provided prescriptions for large amounts of opioids, filled prescriptions early and completed prescriptions for a dangerous combination of drugs.

    By • April 22, 2025
  • U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (C) swears in Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) as the Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator during a ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House on April 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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    Dr. Oz sworn in as CMS administrator

    During a ceremony at the Oval Office, Mehmet Oz said he would focus on reducing chronic disease, “modernizing” Medicare and Medicaid, and targeting fraud, waste and abuse in government insurance offerings.

    By • April 21, 2025
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    Arkansas passes law banning PBMs from owning pharmacies

    The law in particular will affect CVS and UnitedHealth, both of which operate physical pharmacies in the state along with specialty and mail-order pharmacy businesses.

    By • April 21, 2025
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    Head Start zeroed out in Trump’s preliminary budget plan

    The early education program is among those targeted for closure in a budget draft for the HHS.

    By Kara Arundel • April 17, 2025
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    HHS restructuring

    Budget draft outlines Trump’s plan to slash federal health programs

    An OMB document proposes to cut the HHS budget by roughly one-third as well as eliminate several divisions and programs.

    By • April 17, 2025
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    Surescripts receives QHIN status under TEFCA

    The addition of the e-prescribing giant’s information exchange brings the total number of Qualified Health Information Networks to nine.

    By • April 17, 2025
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    CMS rejects Humana’s Medicare Advantage star ratings appeal

    The decision, which Humana disclosed in a Tuesday filing with the court overseeing its lawsuit against the HHS, will be reviewed by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the new CMS administrator.

    By • April 16, 2025
  • President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025.
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    Trump signals plan to address ‘pill penalty’ of drug pricing law

    The president’s executive order promising to lower pharmaceutical prices includes support for a fix long sought by the industry, and could augur a new push for Medicare site neutrality.

    By Kristin Jensen • April 16, 2025
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    Deep Dive

    A judge blocked the FDA’s plan to regulate LDTs. What now?

    One attorney said the ruling “isn’t quite the stake in the heart.” The FDA is unlikely to challenge the court’s decision, but Congress could still pass legislation addressing LDT regulation

    By Susan Kelly • April 16, 2025
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    Deep Dive // HHS restructuring

    HHS layoffs may be illegal, legal experts say

    The federal health department sidestepped normal procedures as it laid off 10,000 employees, according to sources. One union has already filed an internal complaint, while at least two law firms are exploring suits.

    By • April 15, 2025
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    Courtesy of UnitedHealth Group
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    UnitedHealth to enter mediation with DOJ over Amedisys deal

    This summer, UnitedHealth, Amedisys and antitrust regulators will have a magistrate judge’s help in hashing out a solution to the DOJ’s opposition to the merger.

    By • April 15, 2025
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    US launches probe that could set stage for pharma tariffs

    The Commerce Department has begun a so-called Section 232 investigation into the national security effects of the U.S. importing pharmaceuticals and their starting materials.

    By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated April 14, 2025
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    Many CMMI models didn’t generate savings: report

    Only one-third of the models analyzed produced substantial savings for the federal government, according to Avalere Health. The payment models have become a target for spending reductions under the Trump administration.

    By • April 14, 2025
  • A picture of the exterior of the US Department of Health and Human Services. In front of the building is a black sign designating the building's name.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    CMS to end some federal Medicaid spending for state health programs

    The decision represents “the end of an era of being open to a broader conception of health within the Medicaid program,” one expert said.

    By • April 14, 2025
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    Medicare proposes 2.4% pay hike for inpatient hospitals next year

    The rate increase is the lowest since 2019. The American Hospital Association slammed it as inadequate.

    By • April 14, 2025
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    Tariff turmoil: Hospitals, device makers welcome pause, but fear long-term pain

    Healthcare providers and medtech companies still face pressure to find ways to offset potential supply chain shocks despite the latest about-face in President Donald Trump’s tariff wars.

    By , Susan Kelly • April 10, 2025
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to reporters after the House passes the Republicans' budget plan at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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    House adopts budget plan that could cue Medicaid cuts

    Now, lawmakers will hash out legislation that follows the spending blueprint, which could include cuts to the safety-net insurance program — a potentially unpopular choice among Republican voters.

    By • April 10, 2025
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    HHS restructuring

    Biotech CEOs, VCs urge Cassidy, Senate to ease impact of FDA cuts

    Experts say the layoffs are already causing issues in drug development — and things may get far worse without critical institutional knowledge at the FDA.

    By Kristin Jensen • April 10, 2025
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    Medicaid cuts unpopular with Trump voters: poll

    More than 50% of Trump voters oppose cutting Medicaid to pay for tax cuts, according to a GOP pollster. The survey suggests the issue could be politically challenging for Republican lawmakers.

    By • April 9, 2025
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    Trump says ‘major’ tariffs coming on pharmaceuticals

    The president didn’t offer any details on the scope of the tariffs or the timing for the announcement, though he said it would come “very shortly.”

    By Kristin Jensen • April 9, 2025
  • A sign for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stands outside of a concrete building.
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    Ned Pagliarulo/Healthcare Dive
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    Trump’s CMS dramatically raises payments to Medicare Advantage plans

    The 5.1% benchmark increase is the largest in the past decade. The hike reflects more recent data capturing cost growth, according to the CMS. Though, the Trump administration likely “had its finger on the scale,” one analyst said.

    By • April 8, 2025
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    Texas federal judge strikes down Biden-era nursing home staffing mandate

    A conservative judge blocked the policy from going into effect, saying the HHS had overstepped its authority to issue the rule.

    By • April 8, 2025