Insights | Meridian Research Group | Page 13

Pharmaceutical Advertising

After months of inaction by HHS Secretary Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Makary regarding direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising - despite evidence of their intense focus on the issue - the administration is finally beginning to turn its attention to the matter.

Energy, Infrastructure

Permitting Reform

Congress has begun an effort to pass energy infrastructure permitting reform legislation, something that House Republican leaders have put at the center of their agenda for this fall. The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing yesterday, which represents the first substantive step in the legislative process.

Housing (Supply, GSE Exit/MBS Policy, Closing Costs)

Housing is gaining increased attention among policy makers, with Treasury Secretary Bessent suggesting earlier this week that the administration could declare a “housing emergency.” His comment is consistent with prior administration calls for regulatory reforms aimed at increasing housing supply and reducing mortgage costs. Congress is also...

Healthcare Extenders/Reforms (MA, Site Neutral, PBMs, Extenders)

Outside of the ACA eAPTCs, lawmakers are also intensifying their work around other unresolved healthcare issues – including, for example, Medicare/Medicaid extenders, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms, Medicare Advantage (MA) upcoding reforms, and Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) site neutral payment reforms.

Affordable Care Act (Enhanced Subsidies)

With Congress returning from August recess, lawmaker focus on the end-of-year expiration of the ACA enhanced subsidies (eAPTCs) is intensifying.

IEEPA Litigation

In a 7-4 decision, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision from the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) blocking President Trump’s imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The decision (involving two cases, V.O.S. Selections v. U.S. and Oregon v. U.S.). The Federal Circuit...