Creator: JJ Rabinowich
SNF Digest #186
From the White House to Congress to the regulatory agencies, JJ gives you the inside word on what is what for this week.
WHITE HOUSE:
It was a relatively quiet week out of the White House. They released a new peace plan for Gaza, signed a new Presidential Determination related to export restrictions on critical materials, released an update on the campaign in Iran, and revised tariffs related to the import of quartz products.
CONGRESS:
With the House out of town, the funding battle shifted to the Senate, where they’re working hard to finalize a funding deal of their own that would, more or less, fund the government through December 4th. Given the many competing priorities and a packed agenda for the final week of scheduled session for the Senate, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is doing everything he can to hold things together. The President is getting frustrated by the slow pace of the Senate, and upping the pressure, but ultimately it’s up to Senator Thune to make things happen. Elsewhere in DC:
Senator Ron Wyden (D – OR) released a RFI asking for input from the public on how Democrats should reshape healthcare in America if the Democrats take control of Congress following the midterms. It’s a good look at how they’re thinking about health policy as well as a chance to weigh in on the plan. The RFI is available here (PDF).
A new batch of polling found that the public, regardless of political affiliation, is much more willing to let the government get involved in healthcare, if it means lowering prices and more affordability.
Michigan gets to vote in primaries this week and the main candidates reflect two very different wings of the Democratic party. The race is making mainstream Democrats extremely apprehensive. The party’s leftward shift is even making leaders nervous about Senator John Fetterman’s future with the party.
Elections don’t happen in a vacuum and in states with a gubernatorial seat on the line there’s real downstream impact on other ballots.
Three relevant CRS reports from the week:
IF13281: A guide to TrumpRX for Congressional offices
R43122: An updated guide on the Medicare program’s financial status. While the CRS released this report more frequently in the past, this is the first update in five years.
LSB11462: A legal guide to a recent Supreme Court decision that might make it easier to produce generic drugs under a concept called “Skinny Labels”.
AGENCIES:
CMS released the final 2027 SNF payment rule. The full rule can be found at the Federal Register. They also have a central resource page with the underlying financial information related to the final rule.
CMS announced that they’re ending the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, which is essentially a major subsidy to major health insurance companies for prescription drugs.
CMS also released the final rules for Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric facilities, as well as the Hospital Inpatient and Long-Term Care Hospitals.
Included in the hospital final rule is a formal nationwide expansion of the CJR-X model, a joint replacement model pilot program that CMS was testing. The central resource page for the model is here. Under the CJR-X program, eligible beneficiaries can be transferred to a SNF without a qualifying 3-day stay.
Additionally, the final rule includes the adoption of a set of health IT standards.
CMS highlighted the work of the Medicaid Fraud War Room in stopping more than $200 million in payments from going out the door. The fact sheet is here (PDF).
HRSA is taking another shot at revamping the 340B drug pricing program after an earlier effort got tangled in litigation. The formal notice was posted to the Federal Register, where comments can be submitted through August 24th.
HHS launched a new “Real Food Show” to showcase healthy, affordable cooking.
HHS, via SAMSHA, announced the award of more than $73 million for mental health programs.
HHS announced the release of a new strategy aimed at ending “High-Risk Life Sciences” research. The full strategy is here (PDF).
HHS & CMS hosted a full day event celebrating the one-year anniversary of the “Making Health Tech Great Again” initiative. You can watch the video of the event here: Part 1 and Part 2.
The FCC announced an update to their banned list of foreign robots and power inverters. The list is here (PDF). The National Security Determination memo is here (PDF). Importantly, it looks like the ban would cover popular robotic vacuums, such as Roombas.
FROM THE NOTEBOOK:
Virginia announced a new “roadmap” to clear out the regulatory backlog of SNF surveys.
A deep dive into how different industries, including SNFs, are dealing with the end of TPS protections for Haitians.
Humana is planning on exiting several markets next year, potentially impacting 600,000 beneficiaries.
JAMA explored long-term trends in SNF closures.
Health Affairs examined the many deals that the Administration has made with pharmaceutical manufacturers.
A real-world perspective on the challenges of aging at home and why SNFs are really a strong alternative.
