Biden Administration

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In 2021, 1 in 10 American households experienced food insecurity, an issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are some of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. Each year in the U.S. there is an estimated $52.8 billion in excess health care costs as a result of adults experiencing food insecurity.[2] Since recognizing the influence of nonmedical factors such as socioeconomic status, education, and physical education on health, there have been a growing number of initiatives to address social determinants of health (SDOH) within the health care system. Food is medicine interventions are tailored to respond to the connection between food and health in order to help prevent, manage, or reverse diet-related disease.[3] Food is medicine interventions may include medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, and medically tailored food packages. These interventions have been associated with decreased inpatient hospital admissions, decreased overall healthcare costs, increased medication adherence, and increased diet quality.[4] The concept of using healthy foods to reduce diet-related disease in the U.S. is increasing in popularity. There is bipartisan support for food is medicine initiatives to target food insecure and medically vulnerable populations.

Continue Reading Food is Medicine: Can Policymakers Come to the Table?

President Biden signs Executive Order directing HHS to “consider additional actions to further drive down prescription drug costs”

On October 14, 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) directing the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider new healthcare payment and delivery models the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and created by the Affordable Care Act, can test to lower drug costs and promote access to innovative drug therapies for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The EO specifies the HHS Secretary should include models that may lead to lower cost-sharing for commonly used drugs and support value-based payment initiatives that promote high-quality care. The Secretary must submit its report, describing any models selected, within 90 days of the EO’s issuance.  

Continue Reading White House looks to CMMI to test new ways to lower drug prices

On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued guidance to the nation’s retail pharmacies about their nondiscrimination obligations to ensure access to reproductive health care services, including medications used to terminate pregnancies. As we previously discussed, the Biden Administration and OCR have been taking action as some states seek to restrict or criminalize abortion services in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.  

Continue Reading OCR Issues Anti-Discrimination Guidance for Pharmacies Related to Reproductive Health Care Services

The Biden Administration is taking action to support access to reproductive health care in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This is occurring as some states seek to restrict or criminalize abortion services. So far, there has been action by the White House, through an Executive Order, and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through guidance on HIPAA and privacy. 

Continue Reading Biden Acts to Protect Reproductive Health Care Services: Executive Order and Privacy Guidance

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released data—for the first time—reporting on mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and changes of ownership of Medicare enrolled hospitals and nursing homes over the past six years. This data, expected to be updated on a quarterly basis moving forward, has been lauded as an important step in improving transparency around nursing facility ownership and enhancing nursing home safety and quality of care. In conjunction with the release of CMS’ data, HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a related report analyzing the data and examining trends in changes of ownership over the past six years. In its report, ASPE also offers preliminary insights into how the data on ownership changes can support implementing policies bolstering competition in health care as well as ensuring program integrity in Medicare and Medicaid.

Continue Reading Changing Hands, Not Washing Them: CMS’ First Report on Nursing Home M&A Data