Insights: Policy

Bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have reached a deal setting FY26 funding for HHS and its sub-agencies, including NIH. This funding is included in the broader FY26 Labor/HHS appropriations bill. The deal largely conforms with the language approved by Senate Appropriations in June of last year. The House is...

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)

Leadership of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have included PBM reform provisions in their bipartisan deal on the FY26 Labor/HHS appropriations bill. The House is planning to vote on this and other appropriations bills on Thursday as part of a combined “minibus.” The Senate will likely pass the bill and send it to the President’s...

Judge Walker of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine temporarily blocked the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) from implementing its 340B Rebate Pilot Program, which would have allowed drugmakers to provide 340B-discounted drug prices using a rebate mechanism. The Trump administration subsequently requested the...

After a surge in activity last week, movement toward a bipartisan deal extending the expired ACA enhanced subsidies (eAPTCs) has stalled and begun to wane. Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD), while still supportive of the notion of a deal, has indicated this needs to be wrapped up by the end of January. However, bipartisan negotiations in the...

Fed/Supreme Court

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) will hold oral arguments in Trump v. Cook next Wednesday (1/21). Trump v. Cook is an emergency dispute over whether President Trump can remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook “for cause” now (based on allegations of mortgage fraud), or whether she must remain in office while the legality of her removal is...

Fed/Powell Investigation

Republicans have continued to escalate their criticism of DOJ’s criminal investigation into Fed Chair Powell, with Sen. Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Senate Banking Committee (SBC), which is responsible for taking the first step in confirming Fed nominees, saying that he will not vote to confirm any nominees until the investigation is closed....