WHITE HOUSE:

The White House focused this week on another 90-day extension to the Jones Act waiver, a move designed to help lower gas & oil prices, a Most Favored Nation deal with Regeneron, the 17^th such agreement with a pharmaceutical manufacturer, and a new Presidential Determination exempting several Air Force bases in the West from water regulations.

CONGRESS:

There’s finally a little hope for an end to the partial government shutdown, with the agency fast running out of money. The Senate, after an all-night ‘vote-a-rama’ adopted the budget resolution that acts as step one in the Reconciliation process. The resolution is very narrowly tailored to fund only DHS and ICE, without any other competing Republican priorities. The challenge, as it often does, lies with Speaker Johnson and the House. The usual suspects are making noise, even as talks begin on a third Reconciliation bill that addresses the rest of the GOP wish list. For now, next week is gonna be jam packed for the Speaker and the GOP. Elsewhere in the political world:

• A bipartisan group of Congressional members, including several physicians, released the “Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026”. Working with the folks at AHCA, the legislation is aimed at solving many of the challenges posed by Medicare Advantage. The full bill text is available here (PDF).

  
  

• Washington Senator Maria Cantwell questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week about CMS pilot program, called WISeR that uses AI as part of the prior authorization process. Her office also prepared a new snapshot (PDF) that shows the model is leading to longer delays in approval.

  
  

• Virginia voted this week to redistrict, potentially helping Democrats pick up 4 seats in the Midterms. Assuming it survives the legal challenges, Republicans best shot of picking up seats now comes down to Florida.  The entire redistricting process is leaving a bad taste in Republican’s mouth.

  
  

• While Reconciliation vote-a-rama is typically a messaging session, with little chances of any of the amendments actually passing, one interesting item popped up in the votes: 3 Republican Senators joined a vote to go after insurance companies for delays in approving care.

  
  

• The Senate wants to expand the use of AI in Congressional business.

  
  

• It’s been a roller coaster ride in this administration for healthcare. Y’know who’s benefiting? Lobbyists.

  
  

• Adding another layer of complexity to the Congressional calendar is an anticipated need for approving new Cabinet appointees, something highlighted by the departure this week of yet another Cabinet member.

  
  

• Two interesting CRS reports from the week:

  
  

1. R47605: An update to their guide for Congressional offices on how to help their constituent connect with benefits and services.

2. R48725: An updated guide on staffing levels at the Social Security Administration.

AGENCIES:

Speaking at a Politico Health Summit this week, CMS Administrator Dr. Oz announced that CMS is embarking on a full audit of how all 50 states are making an effort to root out fraud. He followed that up with a video on his official X account as well as copies of the letters that were sent to Governors. The letters were also shared with Fox News.

Back in December, the President issued an Executive Order in December regarding on increasing marijuana research. As a result, the DOJ and DEA announced an order (PDF) that recategorizes FDA approved marijuana products into Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, a lesser level of control. Additionally, they are scheduling a hearing (PDF announcement with details) in June on the implications of a full rescheduling of marijuana to Schedule III.

The GAO released a new overview of CMS’ use of data analytics to better capture fraud in the program. The summary is here (PDF). The full report is here (PDF).

Following up on recent federal guidance re: food in hospitals, CMS announced a new voluntary pledge for hospitals to ‘Make Hospital Food Healthier’. While hospitals only for now, it’s worth monitoring to see if they bring the trend to other healthcare providers.

CMS & the FDA announced a new “Regulatory Alignment for Predictable and Immediate Device” (RAPID) pathway with the goal of expediting access to breakthrough medical devices for Medicare beneficiaries. They expect to publish a formal announcement in the Federal Register soon.

As a result of the President’s Executive Order last week looking to spur new treatments for mental illnesses, the FDA announced a series of actions to expedite approval and waivers for the usage of psychedelics in treatments. Additionally, ARPA-H announced the award of up to $139.4 million for research into their effectiveness at treatment.

The OIG at HHS released an audit of CMS’ oversight capabilities as it relates to compounded drugs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. The summary is here (PDF). The full report is here (PDF).

Building off their pledge to CMS last year, United Healthcare announced that they are continuing to streamline and eliminate prior authorizations, as well as speed up payments for rural providers. Aetna issued a similar release.

FROM THE NOTEBOOK:

• Florida is getting a little closer to a budget as the House and Senate agreed on some numbers. A special session of the legislature is scheduled to start May 12^th.

  
  

• Way to go, Minnesota! The state passed a new law that allows SNFs to serve alcohol.

  
  

• PHI, an advocacy group for the direct care workforce, launched a new campaign to grow and support the direct care workforce.

  
  

• AARP released a new policy paper focused on the use of AI in long-term care. The full paper is here (PDF).

  
  

• Kansas is making serious changes to its state nursing board.

  
  

• A nice summary of a new law passed by Nebraska that implement new oversight requirements for staffing agencies.

  
  

• This is wonky, but a breakdown of claims related to the No Surprises Act. It comes as the NY Times highlighted that the Act is having some unintended consequences.

  
  

• Modern Healthcare explored how Managed Medicaid insurers are preparing for tighter eligibility rules in the wake of the One Big Beautiful Bill.

  
  

• Two good reads from McKnight’s on some of the legal efforts being taken by providers as they push back on the regulatory system: schizophrenia audits and PBJ audits.