House Passes Senate Version Of Budget Reconciliation Framework
The House passed the Senate’s watered-down budget reconciliation framework on a party-line 216-214 vote. While the spending threshold in the bill did not change (it is de minimis), enough conservative Republicans jumped back on the bill after meetings with and pressure from House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Jon Thune, and President Trump. Conservatives are distrusting but got commitments from Trump and Johnson that as much as $1.5 trillion in cuts will be in the bill. Senate Leader Jon Thune gave a much softer commitment on levels of cuts.
The House vote likely means that Congress will go after deeper cuts than not. Also controversial is the Senate bill assumes “current policy” not “current law” for budget scoring, which many, including I, call a gimmick that could lead to huge increases in deficits and debt in the future.
The ongoing process will be messy and has great uncertainty.
Additional articles: https://insidehealthpolicy.com/daily-news/house-gop-passes-senate-amended-budget-setting-stage-medicaid-cuts-reconciliation and https://www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-policy/congress-passes-budget-teeing-up-huge-healthcare-cuts and https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/house-budget-plan-advances-paving-way-major-medicaid-cuts
(Some articles may require a subscription.)
#budgetreconciliation #trump #congress #spending
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5241651-house-republicans-trump-budget-framework-vote
Oz Outlines Goals In Message
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the newly minted administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a message after his first week in office. Among his goals include:
- Empowering the American people with personalized solutions they can better manage their health and navigate the complex healthcare system.
- Equipping healthcare providers with better information about the patients they serve and holding them accountable for health outcomes, rather than unnecessary paperwork that distracts them from their mission.
- Identifying and eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse to stop unscrupulous people who are stealing from vulnerable patients and taxpayers.
- Shifting the paradigm for healthcare from a system that focuses on sick care to one that fosters prevention, wellness, and chronic disease management.
In other news, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said he is considering a “regulatory framework” for Medicare and Medicaid to cover GLP-1 medications to treat obesity.
CMS message: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/dr-mehmet-oz-shares-vision-cms
Additional article: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5243625-rfk-jr-framework-medicaid-medicare-glp-1s/
#rfkjr #oz #cms #hhs #healthcare #glp1s #weightlossdrugs #medicare #medicaid
Trump Orders Regulations To Be Slashed
President Donald Trump issued a new executive order that directs agencies to scrap rules that could conflict with recent Supreme Court decisions that exceed agency authority. This could have major impact on healthcare. Agencies have to provide the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by April 19 with a list of rules that could be struck.
Additional article: https://insidehealthpolicy.com/daily-news/trump-adds-new-criteria-rolling-back-hhs-rules
(Some articles may require a subscription.)
#regulations #hhs #cms #trump #healthcare
Scan and Sutter Health To Partner On Medicare Advantage
Sutter Health and SCAN Group are partnering on new Medicare Advantage (MA) products in Northern California for 2026 and will launch a new joint venture MA plan in the near future.
The plans want to develop new care models that integrate technology, preventive health strategies, and comprehensive chronic disease management programs.
Additional article: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/insurance/scan-group-sutter-health-joint-venture
(Some articles may require a subscription.)
#medicareadvantage #healthplans
https://www.beckerspayer.com/payer/scan-sutter-health-to-launch-shared-medicare-advantage-venture
Peterson-KFF Issue Brief On Healthcare Issues To Watch
The Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker issued a brief that outlines the health issues to watch in 2025. The issues, with nice explanatory graphics, include:
- The growth of GLP-1s
- Other high-cost drugs and gene therapies
- Hospital costs
- Government healthcare spending
- Transparency
- Site-neutral payments
- Drug prices
- Market competitions
- Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs)
- Workforce issues
In addition, Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker issued a brief on U.S. healthcare spending vs. other comparable countries.
Last, KFF issued a brief on the five key facts about Medicaid coverage for adults with chronic conditions.
Additional articles: https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries/ and https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-coverage-for-adults-with-chronic-conditions/
#healthcare #medicaid #medicare #drugpricing #pbms #antitrust #pricetransparency #hospitals #glp1s #weightlossdrugs
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/health-spending-issues-to-watch-this-year/
— Marc S. Ryan
