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Senate HELP Chairman Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) recently introduced 340B Drug Pricing Integrity and Affordability for Patients Act raises threats to 340B contract pharmacies (both brick-and-mortar and mail-order) [CVS and private Walgreens, and to a much…

CMS’s CY27 proposed Medicare end-stage renal disease (ESRD) payment rule is likely to leave dialysis providers [DVA, FRE.DE, private Innovative Renal] somewhat disappointed. The agency declined to extend the transitional drug add-on payment adjustment (TDAPA)…

We believe the FCC is very near to formally eliminating the 39% national television ownership cap, with the final rule now at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the OMB. The agency…

With only a handful of state legislatures still in session and most adjourned for the year, our review of state efforts to expand oversight of or impose restrictions on material changes in hospitals and healthcare…

The House and Senate are both in session this week, as the pre-August calendar is becoming the biggest obstacle for several Republican priorities that need to be worked out. We continue to believe the Digital…

CMS informed Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers [HUM, UNH, CVS, ELV, CNC, ALHC, MOH, CLOV] that it is voluntarily recalculating their CY26 Star Ratings, which determine CY27 Quality Bonus Payments (QBP). Under the agency’s approach, released…

We remain skeptical that Congress will pass comprehensive federal AI legislation this year or likely next year, leaving companies to navigate a state-by-state regulatory patchwork since no current federal law exists that broadly preempts state…

Yesterday’s disclosure by the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) that it is reviewing a finalized Medicare Part D Most Favored Nation (MFN) policy suggests the administration likely intends to move forward with its late…

CMS’s draft coverage policy for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) appears largely consistent with our initial expectations, likely bringing some incremental upside as well. If finalized largely as proposed in Sept., as seems probable, we…

Last week’s ACA-related court ruling permanently, which enjoined key portions of the CY25 Obamacare regulation, may initially reassure insurers [OSCR, CNC, ELV] and hospitals [HCA, THC, CYH, UHS, ARDT] about certain enrollment-related program integrity headwinds….