House E&C Committee Unveils Budget Reconciliation Proposal, Including Steep Medicaid Cuts

The House Energy & Commerce Committee has released a hotly anticipated budget reconciliation bill that aims to thread the needle between policymakers who want to see Medicaid funding slashed and those who view steep cuts as a political flashpoint. The committee was tasked with cutting approximately $880 billion in federal outlays, and early estimates (PDF) from the Congressional Budget ...

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California May Expand Standard Small-Group Coverage To Include IVF, Hearing Aids

A new in vitro fertilization benefit would make coverage for up to three attempts to create embryos through an IVF process an essential health benefit.

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GLP-1 Medications Fuel $806B U.S. Prescription Drug Spending Spree

Prescription drug spending in the United States rose by 10.2% last year, thanks in part to the popularity of GLP weight-loss drugs.

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‘Cuts Of This Magnitude Cannot Be Absorbed’: Hospitals Slam Republicans’ Medicaid Proposal

House Republicans on May 11 floated a bill that would impose up to $715 billion in Medicaid and ACA cuts over the next decade — reductions that hospital leaders warn would leave millions without coverage and put essential hospitals at risk of closure. The 160-page bill outlines several Medicaid provisions aimed at curbing federal spending, including: Implementing stricter eligibility ...

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CBO: House GOP Plan Exceeds $880B Savings Target

The Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, surpassed its target of finding $880 billion in savings to help pay for legislation to extend President Trump’s tax cuts and other priorities, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In a brief letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), the CBO said the committee’s reconciliation ...

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CMS Hints At Possible Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments For Insurers, Impacting ACA Enrollment

States and health insurers received new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) May 2 on how to prepare should Congress fund cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments or extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit subsidies. One notice (PDF) suggests Congress could choose to appropriate funds toward CSR payments, which would be a ...

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Health Care Spending Reaches Two-Decade High

According to an AMA policy report on health spending trends, health care spending grew by 7.5% in 2023, significantly above growth rates of 4.6% in 2022, 4.2% in 2021 and 4.4% in 2019.

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UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty Steps Down, Company Suspends 2025 Outlook

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty will step down from his role at the top of the company due to personal reasons, the healthcare giant announced Tuesday morning. Stephen Hemsley, who previously held the CEO title from 2006 to 2017, will succeed him. The change is effective immediately, according to the announcement. Hemsley will also remain as ...

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Shingles Vaccine Has Unexpected Effect On Heart Health

The list of potential benefits of the shingles vaccine continues to grow. Beyond protecting against the viral infection and resulting painful rash, the shot has also been linked to a reduced risk of dementia, as Fox News Digital previously reported. And now, a new study has found that the vaccine could lower the risk of heart disease ...

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The Key Republican Warning About A Megabill Medicaid Fallout

The House Republican working behind the scenes to rein in his party’s ambitions to cut Medicaid spending is a California dairy farmer who represents more Medicaid beneficiaries than any of his GOP colleagues.

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