WHITE HOUSE:

The White House focused this week on the first ever US “National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism” (full strategy available here as a PDF), new efforts on the youth mental health crisis, and the G7 Summit.

One item of note for us:

• Continuing a recent theme, they announced several new initiatives related to Artificial Intelligence (AI). As many of you are involved in development and utilization of AI, it’s important to keep track of how the federal government is approaching AI regulation. They released three components, including (all are links to the PDF):

• An updated federal strategic plan for AI R & D;

• A “Request for Information” (RFI) requesting public input on how to safely deploy and develop AI;

• A comprehensive report on utilizing AI in an education setting.

CONGRESS:

Finally! Over the weekend, President Biden & Speaker McCarthy hammered out the basic framework of a debt ceiling deal. The full text of the 99-page bill is available here (PDF). Here is a summary of the major provisions. For our purposes, work requirements for Medicaid were not included, although work requirements were added for other social programs (like SNAP). It’s important to note that while there’s an agreement between the White House & McCarthy, nothing is official till Congress votes upon it later this week, and while likely, getting enough votes from Conservatives and Progressives will be a struggle. In the meantime, Republicans (PDF) and Democrats (PDF) are circulating their talking points to shore up political support. Elsewhere from the political world.

• In addition to the practical ramifications of the high-profile debt ceiling discussions, there will be political consequences for Speaker McCarthy and his relationship with the rest of the GOP. It’s also raising the profile of several Congressional Republicans.

• Adding to the pressure to get a deal in place was Treasury Secretary Yellen’s estimate (PDF) that the government would run out of cash on June 5^th.

• While marred by glitches, Governor DeSantis officially declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential primary this week, adding to a crowded field. It’s been a rocky road for the Governor, but he remains the most likely challenger to former President Trump as the GOP nominee.

• Following up on the Congressional PBM efforts, the Energy & Commerce passed the bill out of committee. Fierce Healthcare has a summary of the passed bill. While not yet posted to the official Congressional page, you can find a copy of the bill that passed out of Committee here (PDF).

• An interesting look at how AI will impact the upcoming elections.

• Finally, one interesting CRS report from the week: an analysis (PDF) of ARPA-H, the new federal agency tasked with investing in innovative biomedical & health research. We’ve been tracking the agency as it can be a potential ally for those involved in developing new and emerging health technologies.

AGENCIES:

HHS, via CMS, issued a new “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” (NPRM) that aims to add greater transparency to prescription drug pricing. While most of the rule is aimed at drug manufacturers, there are several components increasing oversight and regulation of PBM’s. You can download a copy of the rule here (PDF), which was published to the Federal Register on May 26^th. Comments can be submitted at the Federal Register page through July 25^th, 2023.

CMS also released their 2023-2024 Medicare rate guide for managed Medicare programs, which may be useful in forecasting MCO rates. You can download a copy here (PDF)

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released an updated guide on the use of AI in employee hiring. You can access the full guide here.

FROM THE NOTEBOOK:

• Adding to the list of states that are tackling survey challenges locally, Kentucky passed a law (KY HB391) that requires joint training with surveyors and mandates input from the local long term care associations. Skilled Nursing News has a more complete summary.

• Several legislative sessions wrapped up this week. Both Minnesota & Washington included significant Medicaid bumps. Minnesota also created a “Nursing Home Standards Board”, which has the power to set minimum wage levels, although only the Legislature will remain empowered to appropriate funds. McKnight’s has a summary of the standards board as does Modern Healthcare (registration required for the Modern Healthcare summary).

• Minnesota joined the growing list of states with a public option plan.

• The Kaiser Family Foundation published a survey discussing personal experiences related to the unwinding. They also posted an executive summary.

• Cliff Porter, AHCA’s Senior VP of Government Relations, sat down for an interview with Skilled Nursing News on the latest in federal immigration. Along the same lines, LeadingAge keeps an updated post of all immigration related federal action as it relates to SNF workforce. It’s a useful resource to monitor.

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