March 23, 2026
Capitol Policy Weekly: Iran Conflict, Farm Aid and Defense Funding in Focus, DHS Shutdown Talks
With both chambers in session this week ahead of a scheduled two-week recess, Washington’s focus remains concentrated on a narrow set of issues, including: The evolving U.S.-Iran conflict, which is expected to include another War Powers resolution in the Senate….
March 18, 2026
META, GOOGL, RDDT: Section 230 Under Attack in Senate Commerce Committee Hearing
While this morning’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing, entitled “Liability or Deniability? Platform Power as Section 230 Turns 30,” was lively and somewhat surprisingly well attended, we seriously doubt any material erosion of Section 230 protections for social media companies such as Meta (META), Alphabet’s YouTube (GOOGL), and Reddit (RDDT) will pass…
March 17, 2026
(SNAP, RBLX, GOOGL, META) Kids Online Safety Legislation: Narrow Path Despite Renewed Momentum
We estimate roughly a 35% probability that Congress will enact a youth online safety legislative package, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), COPPA 2.0, and the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA) or similar legislation. The combo of these measures would be negative for Snap (SNAP), Roblox (RBLX), Meta (META), and Alphabet’s…
March 16, 2026
Medicare Advantage: Final CY27 Rates Expectations of 1%-3% Increase [HUM, ALHC, UNH, CVS, ELV, CNC, PRVA, ASTH, EVH, DVA, FRE.DE]
We continue to expect CMS’s final CY27 rate announcement for Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers [HUM, ALHC, UNH, CVS, ELV, CNC], affecting their contracted value-based care providers [PRVA, ASTH, EVH], to produce a low single-digit increase…
March 16, 2026
Capitol Policy Weekly: Iran Conflict Likely, Fed Standoff Continues, SAVE Act Politics and the Government Shutdown Continues
With both the House and Senate back in Washington, the focused will be on a number of issues, including: The evolving Iran conflict. The standoff surrounding Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Senate debate over the SAVE America Act. Also, the Federal…
March 13, 2026
Trade Potpourri: Sec. 301, Court Challenge to Sec. 122 Tariffs, U.S.-China Trade and the USMCA
There is a lot happening on the trade front from 60 Section 301 tariff country investigations announced by the Trump administration yesterday, to court dates set in the Section 122 legal challenge, and the ongoing USMCA saga. Taken together, these issues are likely to…
March 13, 2026
Amazon (AMZN) Satellite Waiver: FCC Relief Likely Despite Carr’s Comments on Deployment Shortfall
Amazon’s (AMZN) request for additional time to meet its Project Kuiper deployment timeframe has attracted renewed scrutiny from the FCC, given recent comments from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—including a post on X this week criticizing the company’s opposition to SpaceX’s satellite expansion and…
March 12, 2026
Hospitals: Latest CMS Batch of Approved Hospital-Specific DPPs [HCA, THC, UHS]
CMS’s latest approvals for hospital-specific Medicaid state directed payment programs (DPPs) provide incremental positive news for HCA, THC and UHS due to their footprint in certain states (Georgia, Michigan, Kentucky, and Nevada) where CMS recently…
March 10, 2026
GKOS: Less Sanguine on iDose Coverage Questions
Despite recent speculation that Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) may not pursue a formal coverage policy for GKOS iDose procedures, we continue to expect a draft local coverage determination (LCD) in Q2 / Q3. Following the…
March 10, 2026
Medicaid Expansion Levels – Thoughts on Potential 2027 Enrollment Declines [MOH, CNC, ELV]
With Medicaid insurers [MOH, CNC, ELV] projecting more muted Medicaid enrollment changes for 2026 compared with the sizable attrition during the post-pandemic Medicaid unwinding – and little guidance on what comes next – investors are…