Insights: Policy

Iran War/Domestic Politics/Authorization

Republicans are for the first time since the initiation of the Iran war beginning to show visible signs of resistance to its continuation. Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) and numerous others are beginning to point to the expiration of the 60-day window under the War Powers Act (which will be reached on 5/1) as an important milestone, and Sen....

Medicaid (OBBBA/Eligibility)

CMS released a State Health Official letter implementing Section 71109 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). At a high level, the guidance explains how states should operationalize the law’s new restrictions on federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for certain noncitizens.

Medicaid Payments (MN)

Judge Tostrud of the U.S. District Court for Minnesota (MN) has denied Minnesota’s request for a preliminary injunction seeking to block CMS’s deferral of certain Medicaid payments and restore the deferred funds while the dispute proceeds. The case concerns CMS’s deferral of more than $259m in federal Medicaid funding that the state claims.

Medicare Inpatient Hospital (IPPS) Reimbursement

As part of the FY27 IPPS proposed rule, CMS has proposed a 2.4% ($1.4b) increase in aggregate inpatient hospital payments relative to FY26. This update reflects a projected FY27 hospital market basket increase of 3.2%, reduced by a 0.8% productivity adjustment.

Tech / Media / Telecom

Broadcast/Streaming (Sports/NFL)

Lawmaker and regulator scrutiny of the sports broadcast and streaming landscape has begun to intensify. The comment period for the FCC’s Media Bureau public notice on sports broadcasting practices and marketplace developments ended this week. That public notice sought stakeholder feedback on how the shift of live games from free over-the-air...

Tech / Media / Telecom

Social Media/Minors Litigation

Various threads of litigation related to social media addiction are moving to a more advanced stage. In the CA state consolidated litigation, the first bellwether trial (KGM) resulted in a verdict against Meta (Instagram) and Google (YouTube), with the jury awarding $6m in damages and finding that the defendant platforms’ products were...