Insights | Meridian Research Group | Page 5

End-of-Year Health Care Legislation (ACA, MA, Site Neutral, PBMs, Extenders)

There continue to be indications of interest on the part of Republicans in enacting a bipartisan health care bill by the end of this year. This is being catalyzed by growing focus on the end of year expiration of the ACA enhanced subsidies and the need to address Medicare and Medicaid “extenders”. We anticipate the visibility of this legislative...

Medicare Advantage: Upcoding, Prior Authorization, and Provider Rates

Republican lawmakers are in the early stages of developing healthcare legislation they hope to move through the legislative process on a bipartisan basis by year’s end. The legislation is expected to touch on a variety of issues (i.e., PBMs, various so-called “extenders”) and there is some consideration of including reforms to the Medicare...

Tech / Media / Telecom

AI/Semiconductor Export Controls

President Trump’s AI Action Plan expresses strong support for exporting the full AI technology stack (hardware and software) to allied countries. However, the Action Plan makes more explicit than any statement to-date that the administration supports using export controls to prevent China from getting access to advanced semiconductor technology.

Tech / Media / Telecom

President Trump’s AI Action Plan and associated Executive Orders (EOs) focus on expediting permitting for data center build outs, ensuring that international standards and export controls protect U.S. technology and keeps it out of China’s hands, while reducing regulation that could inhibit AI innovation. A key part of the de-regulation element...

FY26 Appropriations and Recissions

The Senate is this week taking its initial steps to pass FY26 appropriations legislation (i.e., annually allocated funding for government operations, grants, loans, etc.), with a focus on Military Construction/VA, Agriculture, Commerce/State/Justice, and Legislative Branch. Appropriations bills need to pass the Senate on a bipartisan (60+ vote)...

Defense Spending

The House has passed an FY26 defense appropriations bill that would provide the Pentagon ~$832b, matching the same level of spending in FY25, as requested by the White House. The Trump administration requested flat funding for DOD, given that the Republicans' recently enacted reconciliation bill provides ~$150b for defense spending, $113b of...