WHITE HOUSE:

With the end of year & New Year’s holidays, it was very quiet out of the White House. The President signed several bills, including the last major piece of 2023 legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), released new funding for domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and joined up with several other countries to deal with the Houthi attacks. Two year-in-review retrospectives from the White House that may be helpful:

• Building off Invest.gov, the new federal website they built this year to tracks federal spending, they released a “top 10” list of their 2023 achievements, spurred by the “Invest in America” campaign. It’s a helpful way to get a broad overview of where the Administration utilized federal spending this year.

• They released their annual report on global health security, driven by American investment and partnership. The full report is available here (PDF). This is a useful resource to track public health efforts related to pandemics, as well as get a better sense of how the US wants to invest their healthcare dollars.

CONGRESS:

And we’re back! With Congress set to return to DC this week, a full agenda awaits. While progress has been made on a spending deal, in the form of consensus on "topline" final spending numbers, the lack of movement on border security is casting a pall over any potential budget deal. Meanwhile, Speaker Johnson is still struggling with getting the GOP House majority onto the same page, even as he looks to take a bigger personal role in trying to work out a deal with the White House. In short, the new year for Congress is going down the same path as the last: a hectic series of tight deadlines to keep the government open during a major election year. Are we having fun yet?? Elsewhere in the political world:

• With the 2024 Congressional calendar about to start, a retrospective look at Congress’s least productive year since the Great Depression, some of the more… bizarre 2023 Congressional moments, a prospective look at what’s on the radar, and some speculative predictions on potential events that can disrupt the political world.

• With 2024 a landmark year for elections, both domestic and abroad, the long list of Congressional retirements continue to grow, all to the backdrop of questions about the future of 81-year old GOP Senate Leader McConnell. To help sort out the elections chaos, Politico created a useful tool to track all dates for primaries and elections.

• With all the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming elections, an early analysis of the 10 Senate seats most likely to flip.

• We touched upon HHS’ recommendation that Marijuana should be reclassified as a Schedule III substance. The DEA told Congress that the ultimate authority for a decision is in their hands and they are undergoing a review right now. A copy of the letter is available here (PDF).

• One interesting CRS report on Section 230 and AI. Section 230 is the federal statute that underlies free speech protection on the internet. The report discusses generative AI and whether it’s covered by Section 230. For those involved with AI, this is an important angle to keep an eye on. You can download a copy here (PDF).

AGENCIES:

While not strictly limited to long-term care, Florida became the first state authorized by the FDA to implement a drug importation program from Canada. The “pathway”, as described by the FDA, allows a state to negotiate with Canada to import prescription drugs at the lower price point that foreign countries pay for pharmaceuticals. There are still quite a few logistical steps that need to be taken before the program becomes a reality, plus the expected lawsuits from manufacturers. Canada itself is lukewarm about participating in the process. Regardless, with at least 8 other states working on similar requests, this is an important development to monitor. You can download a copy of the formal approval letter here (PDF).

The OIG at HHS issued another audit of compliance with federal life safety requirements by SNF’s within a given state, this time focusing on Ohio (joining similar audits in Georgia, New Jersey, & Pennsylvania, among others). The summary is here and the full report here (both PDF).

FROM THE NOTEBOOK:

• Rhode Island became the latest state to recognize that minimum staffing requirements are simply unenforceable in the real world as Governor McKee signed an executive order suspending enforcement fines in the state.

• For those who operate in California, a new law went into effect that requires more disclosure related to evictions. Please consult with your legal counsel to see if this affects you.

• An interesting exploration from Wired about the future of using robots to help folks with dementia lead more fulfilling lives.

• The NY Times examined an “integrated care center” in Britain and how the new elder care setting can help with the challenging demographics of an aging population.

• NPR reported that many Americans are feeling “trapped“ with their MA plans, another sign of the public discontent with Medicare Advantage.

• With the effects of the Medicaid unwinding continuing to have a major impact on Medicaid enrollment, an important look from Kaiser Health News at the procedural challenges that faced many beneficiaries in Utah and what it means for elsewhere.

• KPMG issued their 2023 Healthcare and Life Sciences Investment Outlook, which explores M & A activity in the healthcare sector. Fierce Healthcare has a summary. You can access the report here (PDF).

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