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July 29, 2025

Defense Update: FY26 Funding and Upcoming Events

By Joe Lieber

We wanted to highlight our expectations for defense spending in FY26 and the upcoming legislative schedule for the defense sector.  Bottom line: we still believe that a continuing resolution (CR) funding defense at FY25 levels…

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July 28, 2025

CY26 Medicare Part D: Additional Spending but CMS Starting to Put on the Brakes

By Beth Steindecker

Today’s CMS release regarding its CY26 Medicare Part D program gives  the impression the agency is focusing on stability in its drug benefit program with the goal to ensure 1) enrollees – especially those in…

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July 28, 2025

Capitol Policy Weekly: Trade, Govt Spending, Gambling, and AVs

By Joe Lieber

With the House out of session until September 2 and the Senate scheduled to leave for its August recess at the end of this week, trade seems likely to continue to dominate the headlines as…

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July 23, 2025

Guardant Health (GH) Reveal Rate Expectations

By John Leppard

We view CMS’s clinical laboratory advisory panel today as an incremental positive for Guardant Health (GH), despite what appears to be a lack of endorsement for the company’s request that payments for Reveal (0569U: $1,644)…

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July 22, 2025

Obamacare Enhanced Subsidy Debate – Where We Stand [OSCR, CNC, ELV, THC, CYH, UHS]

By Beth Steindecker

While exchange insurers (OSCR, CNC, ELV) and hospitals (THC, CYH, ARDT, UHS, HCA) try to figure out their  Obamacare businesses for next year with the various regulatory and reconciliation-related changes leading to anticipated enrollment declines…

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July 22, 2025

(LVY) Live Nation/Ticketmaster: Breakup Still in the Cards

By Joe Lieber

We wanted to provide an update on the potential breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster (LVY) after receiving some client questions on the topic. Our bottom line is that we see a 60-65% probability that…

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July 21, 2025

Capitol Policy Weekly: Trade, Appropriations, Epstein and a Crypto Recap

By Joe Lieber

We expect trade, appropriations and the Epstein controversy to dominate the news flow this week. Both the House and Senate are in session this week with the Senate tentatively scheduled to consider a group of…

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July 17, 2025

(UBER, LYFT) State Unionization Update

By Joe Lieber

We want to provide an update on state legislation that would allow ride-hail drivers for companies such as Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) to unionize in California. We think that California legislation, AB 1340, the…

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July 16, 2025

MMSI: Wrapsody Pass-Through Reprieve Unlikely

By John Leppard

With shares of MMSI off today – we suspect in part on investor disappointment over the lack of any discussion of the company’s Transitional Pass-Through (TPT) payment application for its Wrapsody product in CMS’s CY26…

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July 16, 2025

Medicare CY26 OPPS Proposal: Hospital Outpatient Departments a Loser While ASCs a Winner

By Beth Steindecker

Hospitals [CYH, ARDT, UHS, THC, HCA] were on the losing end of the stick under CMS’s proposed CY26 Medicare reimbursement rule for hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) for a variety of…

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