WHITE HOUSE:

Over the last week the White House focused on continued deregulation efforts in federal permitting by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the President signing several pieces of legislation, and an effort by the First Lady to support new foster care legislation. One item of indirect interest:

• The President issued a new Executive Order to accelerate treatments for those with mental illness. The EO looks to expedite approval of psychedelic drugs to treat mental illness, as well as invest $50 million (matched by states) to do more research into their effectiveness at treating mental illnesses, along with several other efforts. The full text of the EO is here.

CONGRESS:

Another week, another nothing burger for Congress. As the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security dragged on, the lengthy to-do list remains unsolved. Increasingly, Republicans are looking to pass funding for DHS via Reconciliation, although making sure it’s kept small is going to be a challenge. The Senate is laying the groundwork for the party-line bill, but it’s an open question if the House will go along for the ride. With House Republicans finally showing some backbone, the President looking for a bill by June 1^st, and Republicans fighting about other priorities, the slog continues. Elsewhere in the political world:

• After months of anticipation, Virginia’s referendum on redistricting is scheduled for this Tuesday. It’s going to be a tight vote, and the control of the House following the midterms may depend on the outcome.
  
  

• Money, Money, Money… As Midterm season heats up, Politico looked at all the spending by super PAC’s as first-quarter federal election filings went live. In total, more than 7 super PAC’s have already spent more than $50 million apiece (!).
  
  

• Democrats continue to over-perform in special elections, with yet another progressive winning a seat. It has the party energized and Republicans nervous, even in the Senate, especially as the party’s messaging isn’t resonating with voters.
  
  

• A pair of resignations and a Democratic special election win has the Republican majority slimmer than ever. 
  
  

• The House passed a bill to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians for an additional three years, although its prospects in the Senate are slim.
  
  

• Two interesting CRS reports from the week, although neither have much to do with long-term care:
  
  

1. R48909: A list of all the different CRS products related to AI. It’s a good resource to keep bookmarked.

2. R48910: A guide to the new Trump Accounts

AGENCIES:

CMS announced the first 150 health care groups chosen to participate in the ACCESS model.

The federal website that will act as portal for businesses to claim tariff refunds is set to go live on Monday, April 20^th. All the latest guidance related to tariffs can be found at the CBP’s central website.

Nothing official yet, but the GSA announced, at a conference, that they plan on integrating AI into its internal workflow as they aim to automate a “million work hours”.

FROM THE NOTEBOOK:

• Nebraska joined Indiana in carving long-term care out of their managed Medicaid program, although this one appears to be more limited in scope. Skilled Care Journal has a summary.

  
  

• The lawsuits by drug manufacturers continue in Washington state after the state passed a law requiring more transparency and protecting access to the federal 340B drug program.

  
  

• Axios did a deep dive into PBM legislation at the state level and the challenges they face.

  
  

• As we get closer to the launch of Medicaid work requirements, CBS and Reuters explored how states are getting ready.

  
  

• Early returns on price transparency rules seem to show that it’s giving large employers more leverage to negotiate prices down.

  
  

• The New York budget discussions continue to drag on…

  
  

• The NY Times looked at the new $100,000 H-1B and how smaller employers are navigating it.

  
  

• Louisiana passed a new law to help inmates enroll in the state’s Medicaid program within 90 days of release. The state anticipates no problems in formal CMS approval.

  
  

• Maine became the first state to ban data centers, although the governor has yet to sign it. Data centers are a frequent source of increased electrical costs.

  
  

• Earlier this month, CMS dropped a proposed rule that would have given MA beneficiaries a chance to switch plans if their plan was no longer available. The NY Times explored what that means for beneficiaries.

  
  

• The Washington Post has the latest on the Supreme Court case coming later this month that address TPS for Haitian immigrants.

  
  

• AHIP says that MA plans efforts to simplify prior authorization requirements is having a positive effect.

  
  

• PA’s budget process is moving, albeit slowly. 

  
  

• A new report found that AI helps expedite prior authorization requests, although there’s no evidence that it actually translated to cost savings for the provider, once you factor in the additional costs for AI solutions. Fierce Healthcare has a summary. The full report is here (PDF).