September 2, 2026
EW: TAVR NCD Expectations & Implications
With CMS set to release its finalized update to the TAVR NCD by Sept. 13 [likely posted after the close here], we largely expect it to maintain the core elements of the original proposal. More…
September 1, 2026
[DVA, FRE.DE, private US Renal] Final CY27 Dialysis Reg Likely Similar to Proposal; Limited, but Plausible, Paths to Upside
Our review of stakeholder feedback on CMS’s CY27 Medicare payment rule for dialysis centers [DVA, FRE.DE, private US Renal Care and Innovative Renal Care] leaves us expecting a final rule similar to the June proposal,…
August 31, 2026
Capitol Policy Weekly: Government Funding and Legislative Outlook
The House is in session this week but will be out next week for the Labor Day district work period. The Senate will not return until the week of September 14. In addition to looking…
August 27, 2026
Semiconductor Tariffs: Phase Two Is Coming
Following reports that the Trump administration is considering eliminating the tariff exemptions for data centers and extending Sec. 232 semiconductor tariffs to servers and other chip products, we assign ~70% odds that Trump announces expanded…
August 26, 2026
Rx Pricing: “Deal” or No Deal?
Bloomberg is reporting that the White House intends to “announce a new round of drug pricing agreements with several midsized biotech companies on Monday,” and that “in exchange, the companies will be exempt” from the…
August 26, 2026
(META, GOOGL, SNAP, PINS, RDDT) The Next Social Media Risk: Private Litigation, Adult Claims and Product Restrictions
We think Meta’s (META) settlement with state attorneys general (AG) is positive for the company and the social media industry. The state AG cases were the largest and most advanced litigation threat facing the company,…
August 25, 2026
Medtech & Biopharma Catalyst Calendar
This fall seems likely to be a busy one for medtech and biopharma, with key policy catalysts coming up for a number of companies. These span from both the far-reaching in terms of most favored…
August 21, 2026
[HUM, ALHC, UNH, CVS, AGL, ASTH]: MA Tech Changes Rule Expectations: Stars Likely in Focus, Major Risk Adjustment Change Seem Less So
The pending Contract Year (CY) 2028 Technical and Policy Changes proposal for the Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers [HUM, ALHC, UNH, CVS, ELV, CNC, CLOV, MOH] and MA-exposed providers [AGL, ASTH] could be relatively more consequential…
August 20, 2026
2026 Midterms: Democrats Still Overwhelming Favorite to Flip House
We continue to believe the odds Democrats win control of the House are greater than 80%, while we give Republicans roughly a 60% chance of retaining the Senate. In this note, we are focusing on…
August 19, 2026
HTFL: SaMS & Longer-Term Medicare Rate Outlook
Following HTFL’s strong 2Q26 results, we have received a number of questions on how Medicare hospital outpatient reimbursement might evolve in light of CMS’s proposal to eventually establish a new payment paradigm for software as…