WHITE HOUSE:
The White House focused this week on combating fentanyl traffic, building a more robust system for children in welfare programs, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, and announcing a push to reform the Supreme Court. One item of indirect interest:
- They held the second US-Singapore summit on “Critical and Emerging Technology” (CET). While obviously much more broadly focused, for our purposes a significant topic of discussion was the further development of AI regulation, data governance, and more collaboration on the development of biotech. As the usage of AI and flow of data becomes more integrated into the daily activities of long-term care, it’s important to monitor these developments.
CONGRESS:
The Senate left town for the summer with one final failed procedural vote, which was expected, but had the primary goal of more messaging for campaign season. They did manage to pass, with overwhelming support, a bill that represents the most significant online child safety protections in years, although its prospects in the House are uncertain. For now, this represents a wrap on the main portion of the legislative cycle for this Congressional term, especially with only a few short legislative weeks left before the election. The likelihood is that any real legislation will be punted till after the election, including the needed appropriations bills that must pass before the September 30th funding deadline. Expect a lot more election updates and a lot less actual governing from this space over the next few weeks. Elsewhere in the political world:
- A bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill that would help the VA navigate the immediate budget crunch we mentioned last week.
- With the Democratic nomination to run for President secured and her campaign coming off an incredibly successful July fundraising haul, the choice of running mate on the ticket for VP is entering its final stages, with a choice expected this week. Politico has a good rundown of the top candidates. In the meantime, a deep dive into how the Vice President differs from the President in regards to healthcare policy.
- An unintended side consequence of the Supreme Court’s Chevron decision is an emerging consensus that Congress needs to staff up with more expertise.
- A whole bunch of states are exploring expanding liability protections for health care providers that suffer a cyberattack.
- With the confirmation that House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good officially lost his primary, the Conservative group is struggling with how to move forward.
AGENCIES:
CMS issued several final payment rules this week, including the 2025 SNF prospective payment rule. The final rule is scheduled for publication to the Federal Register on August 6th, but if you can’t wait, you can download a copy of the 315 page final rule here (PDF). The highlights include a 4.2% market basket index increase to Medicare rates, but an increase in CMS’ enforcement authority. A good breakdown on the dual nature of the rule was given by eCap Intel Cofounder Marc Zimmet at McKnight’s.
Also issued were the final rules for Hospice, Inpatient Rehab, Hospital/Long Term Care Hospitals, and Medicare Inpatient Psych Rehabs.
CMS announced a new Part D “premium stabilization” demonstration that will work to limit premium increases for Part D beneficiaries. A fact sheet is here. Fierce Healthcare has a good summary.
CMS approved a plan by North Carolina to use Medicaid funds to help pay medical debt for Medicaid beneficiaries. A summary of the plan can be found here.
HHS finally issued a long overdue report on federal barriers to medical marijuana research. You can access the full report here (PDF).
FROM THE NOTEBOOK:
- A new study highlights the vast disparity between MA plans, with fewer quality plans in more socially vulnerable areas, showing, yet again, that MA plans do not provide better healthcare for beneficiaries.
- The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new analysis of the landscape for dual-eligibles.
- One of Minnesota’s largest health systems is dropping United’s MA plan from its network, owing to a high number of preauthorization denials. With the news that Humana expects to lose a “few hundred thousand members” from several of their MA plans, and that most beneficiaries can’t distinguish between MA & traditional Medicare, it’s clear that MA is losing a bit of its luster.
- An in-depth look at South Dakota’s new $2m investment in technology for skilled nursing facilities.
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