The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 6-12.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Congress

  • While the House was in recess this week, the Republican caucus held its annual retreat to discuss legislative priorities.  Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) continues to push for another reconciliation bill, hoping to revisit several proposals to reduce Medicaid spending that were not included in HR another rank-and-file Republicans have expressed doubt that this will be possible.  Both chambers of Congress are scheduled to be in session next week.
  • The House Committee on Energy and Commerce expanded its Medicaid fraud investigation into ten states.  In letters to California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, the committee requested records and communications from the respective states’ governors and health agency leaders.  For more information, see the letter here and the committee’s news release here.
  • On March 17, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars:  The Role of CMS in Combatting Medicare and Medicaid Fraud.  Legislators seek to continue conversations about fraud schemes and programs that are vulnerable to fraud.  See the press release announcement here.
  • The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to convene a hearing on health care affordability with a focus on hospital costs and consolidation.  The hearing has not yet been scheduled but it is expected either in late March or mid-April.  Updates will be posted to the committee’s official calendar here.
  • The Congressional Joint Economic Committee released a report finding that Medicare Part B premiums increased last year as a result of overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans.  The report estimates that Medicare Advantage overpayments raised Part B premiums by $212 per enrollee in 2025, resulting in an additional $13.4 billion in costs.  The committee further projected that annual Part B premiums per beneficiary would double by 2035, increasing from $2,440 to approximately $5,000.  See the report here for additional information.

Medicaid Eligibility Re-Determinations

More than eight months after passage of HR 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” CMS has provided formal guidance to the states on how to redetermine Medicaid eligibility for certain Medicaid beneficiaries – a major part of the bill’s health care changes.  Under that law, states must redetermine affected individuals’ continued Medicaid eligibility every six months beginning with renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027.

CMS is giving states two options for redetermining Medicaid eligibility:  they may move an individual’s previously set 2027 renewal date to an earlier date in 2027 to space out renewals in the adult expansion group throughout the year or use an individual’s previously set 2027 renewal date to redetermine their eligibility.

Nothing in HR 1 changes states’ processing of Medicaid eligibility renewal applications.  States must complete the renewal process by the end of the beneficiary’s eligibility period and can start up to 90 days in advance of the renewal date.

In its guidance, CMS directs states to rely first on ex parte information to complete an individual’s renewal automatically – that is, information sources available to the state such as Social Security Administration data.  If a state cannot complete a review in this manner it is to send a prepopulated renewal form to the applicant and request the information needed.  Individuals deemed no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage must receive advance notice with their fair hearing rights at least 10 days prior to termination.

CMS will be issuing separate guidance by June 1 on HR 1’s community engagement (work) requirements.

Learn more from CMS’s letter to state Medicaid directors.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

  • CMS is encouraging Medicaid agencies and Medicare Part D plan sponsors to apply to participate in its BALANCE (Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth) Model, which seeks to lower the cost and expand coverage of selected GLP-1 medications for weight management in Medicare Part D and Medicaid.  BALANCE will launch in participating states as early as May 2026 and is expected to launch in Medicare Part D in January 2027 but CMS also has finalized a Medicare GLP-1 payment demonstration, called the “Medicare GLP-1 Bridge,” beginning in July of 2026, that will serve as a bridge to the model, enabling people with Medicare Part D coverage who meet certain requirements to obtain GLP-1 medications starting this July.  Learn more about the BALANCE Model and CMS’s invitation to states and Medicare Part D plans to participate in it from this CMS notice and from the BALANCE Model’s web page.
  • Enforcement of new and updated hospital price transparency requirements finalized in the CY 2026 hospital outpatient prospective payment system and ambulatory surgical center payment system final rule begins on April 1 and in anticipation of this enforcement, CMS has updated its hospital price transparency fact sheet.  Find the updated fact sheet here.  In addition, CMS has posted the slide deck from a February presentation on these new and updated requirements; find those slides here.
  • CMS and its Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) have published a notice describing the latter’s plans for improving health care and outcomes and strengthening accountability across the nation’s health- and long-term-care systems.  The notice explains that CCSQ will focus on five strategic goals:  prevention, quality and safety, coverage innovation, data and technology, and burden reduction.  Learn more from this CMS notice and an accompanying strategic roadmap fact sheet.
  • CMS has sent an informational bulletin to state Medicaid and CHIP programs providing resources to aid states’ monitoring and oversight of managed care in Medicaid and CHIP to improve integrity and accountability in managed care programs.  The bulletin focuses on four areas:
    • summarizing recently released guidance related to managed care monitoring and oversight
    • issuing reminders and clarifications on program operations, monitoring and oversight requirements, including notable items identified in findings and recommendations by oversight bodies, including the HHS’s Office of the Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), to help reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in managed care programs
    • outlining managed care reporting requirements, including recent changes to reporting templates, to improve transparency
    • highlighting key managed care operational and program requirements

Learn more from CMS’s informational bulletin to state Medicaid and CHIP programs.

  • CMS has posted a bulletin updating its criteria and billing practices for Medicare-covered cardiac contractility modulation for heart failure.  Find that bulletin here.
  • CMS has instructed the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for jurisdiction E, which processes Medicare Part A and B claims for California, Nevada, Hawaii, and U.S. territories, to provide education for inpatient rehabilitation facility providers (IRFs) regarding the Review Choice Demonstration process for IRFs that are physically located in and bill to California and then to expand this education to IRFs that bill to all the states in jurisdiction regardless of where services are rendered.  Learn more from CMS’s notification to the MAC.  This directive takes effect on May 1.
  • CMS has released detailed reports for its Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Review Choice Demonstration covering Alabama Cycle 3 and Pennsylvania Cycle 2.  These reports provide stakeholders with detailed data and insights on demonstration outcomes for prior authorization and pre-claim review efforts in those states.  Go here (and scroll down to “Update 3/12/2026”) for more information about the program and links to the newly released reports.
  • CMS has issued guidance that seeks to strengthen public trust and ensure that patients and their families are treated with dignity and care throughout the organ donation process.  The guidance clarifies and reinforces the responsibilities of Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) and donor hospitals, both in providing patients full medical care regardless of potential donor status and giving families the time to make decisions regarding organ donation without coercion.  Learn more about the guidance from this CMS news release, which includes a schedule for upcoming CMS efforts to strengthen the organ procurement process and links to a new quality, safety, and oversight memo and a state operations manual appendix update.

Department of Health and Human Services

  • HHS’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is introducing a new cybersecurity module within its Risk Identification and Site Criticality (RISC) 2.0 Toolkit.  RISC 2.0 is a free, web-based platform where organizations can conduct risk assessments by identifying threats, assessing vulnerabilities, determining consequences and criticality, and sharing findings with stakeholders.  The new cybersecurity module guides users through a series of questions about their policies and practices, scoring responses against the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 and HHS Cybersecurity Performance Goals to help organizations identify critical gaps, prioritize investments, and make informed decisions about risk mitigation.  Learn more about the RISC 2.0 Toolkit and its uses from this ASPR news release and this ASPR blog entry.
  • HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced $69.1 million in funding opportunities through three grant programs:  the Children’s Mental Health Initiative, Implementing Zero Suicide in Health Systems, and Assisted Outpatient Treatment.  Learn more about the individual programs, the available funding, and eligible applicants and find links to the notices of funding opportunities in this SAMHSA notice.  The deadlines for applying for the available funding is April 20.
  • HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) has issued its 2026 Interoperability Standards Advisory Reference Edition.  The agency’s interoperability standards advisory process represents the model by which it coordinates the identification, assessment, and public awareness of interoperability standards and implementation specifications that can be used by the health care industry to address specific interoperability needs including, but not limited to, interoperability for clinical, public health, research, and administrative purposes.  The agency encourages stakeholders to implement and use the standards and implementation specifications identified in the reference document as applicable to the specific interoperability needs they seek to address.  Go here to learn more about the new edition of the reference document.

HHS/Office of the Inspector General (OIG)

  • Emergency department procedure codes used on Medicare claims for services billed with non-emergency department sites of service resulted in more than $15 million in improper and potentially improper payments, the OIG concluded after a recent audit.  Learn more from this OIG report.
  • The OIG has published a report on psychosocial characteristics and their association with kidney transplant programs waitlist rates.  Find that report here.
  • HHS’s OIG has issued a favorable opinion regarding a medical technology manufacturer and distributor’s proposal to offer to certain ambulatory surgery centers a discount on intraocular lenses and other surgical supplies used to perform cataract surgery, contingent on affiliated physician practices purchasing its software product.  Find that opinion here.
  • The OIG has issued a favorable opinion regarding the transfer of ownership interests by the sole shareholder of a Medicare certified ambulatory surgical center in anticipation of his retirement from medical practice.  Find that opinion here.

Medicaid State Plan Amendments

CMS has approved the following state plan amendments for Medicaid and CHIP programs.

  • To Arizona, expanding coverage to include outpatient speech therapy and cochlear implants for individuals who are at least 21 years old.
  • To Arizona, updating the fee-for-service payment rates for nursing facility services.
  • To Arkansas, providing mandatory coverage for eligible juveniles who are incarcerated in a public institution post adjudication of charges in accordance with Section 5121 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
  • To Arkansas, adding targeted case management services for eligible juveniles, as required under Section 5121 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
  • To California, resuming the electronic asset verification system.
  • To Illinois, establishing a per diem add-on for specialized behavioral health inpatient unit rates.
  • To Kansas, directing coverage and reimbursement for targeted case management services for eligible juveniles who are inmates of a public institution post adjudication of charges in accordance with Section 1902(a)(84) of the Social Security Act (the Act).
  • To Minnesota, removing the end date for medication-assisted treatment services in accordance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and adding recovery peers and treatment coordinators as qualified providers.
  • To Missouri, adding applied behavior analysis and transcranial magnetic stimulation services to the Comprehensive Substance Treatment and Rehabilitation program.
  • To New Jersey, suspending the Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor Program for a two-year period because 96 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries participate in managed care.
  • To North Dakota, amending the state plan to update the designee for state plan submissions.
  • To Oklahoma, establishing new coverage requirements and reimbursement methodologies for freestanding birthing centers and adding coverage for licensed midwives under the freestanding birth center benefit.
  • To Oklahoma, removing community health worker language from the clinic services section of the state plan and relocating it to preventive services.
  • To Pennsylvania, adding targeted case management youth reentry services, as required under Section 5121 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
  • To Washington, updating the hospital outlier threshold amount.

State-Directed Medicaid Payments

CMS has approved the following state preprints for Medicaid state-directed payments.

  • To Delaware, establishing a uniform increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services and behavioral health inpatient and outpatient services for rating periods covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $309.5 million.
  • To Delaware, renewing a uniform increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services and behavioral health inpatient and outpatient services for rating periods covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount of up to $309.5 million.
  • To Florida, renewing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services for rating periods covering October 1, 2024 through January 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $108.8 million.
  • To Florida, renewing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services for the rating period covering February 1, 2025 through September 30, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment amount up to $217.7 million.
  • To Georgia, establishing a new uniform percentage increase for inpatient hospital and outpatient hospital services for rating periods covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $1.9 billion.
  • To Georgia, renewing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient hospital services and outpatient hospital services for the rating period covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $453.4 million.
  • To Georgia, renewing a uniform percentage increase for professional services at an academic medical center established by the state for the rating period covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term of up to $239.4 million.
  • To Georgia, renewing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient hospital and outpatient hospital services for rating periods covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $363.6 million.
  • To Hawaii, renewing a pay-for-performance arrangement established by the state for public and private hospitals as defined in the preprint for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $103.5 million; a uniform dollar increase established by the state for safety-net hospitals owned and operated by a government agency for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $78.47 million; a uniform percentage increase established by the state for inpatient and outpatient hospital services within privately-owned hospital provider classes for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $241.7 million; and a minimum and maximum fee schedule established by the state for in-state general acute hospitals and children’s hospital services within in-state general acute hospital provider classes for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment.
  • To Hawaii, renewing a pay-for-performance arrangement established by the state for public and private nursing facilities as defined in the preprint for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $2.8 million, and a uniform dollar increase established by the state for nursing facility services within government-owned nursing facilities for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $17.9 million.
  • To Kentucky, introducing a uniform dollar increase for eligible government-owned or operated ground ambulance services for rating periods covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $32.6 million.
  • To Kentucky, renewing a uniform dollar increase for eligible emergency ground ambulance provider services for rating periods covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $64 million.
  • To Kentucky, renewing a uniform dollar increase established by the state for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, and professional services at an academic medical center for the rating period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment up to $1.9 billion; and a value-based payment established by the state for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, and professional services at an academic medical center for the rating period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $471.8 million.
  • To Kentucky, renewing a uniform increase and value-based payment established by the state for inpatient hospital services and outpatient hospital services for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount of up to $2.8 billion.
  • To Massachusetts, establishing a new value-based payment performance improvement initiative for community behavioral health center services for the rating period covering January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $15.5 million.
  • To Massachusetts, renewal of a value-based payment arrangement for a behavioral health quality incentive for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term of up to $72 million for January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025; $72 million for January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026; and $72 million for January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027.
  • To Massachusetts, renewing a minimum fee schedule for behavioral health outpatient services, including 24-hour diversionary substance use disorder services and behavioral health diversionary services, for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment.
  • To Michigan, renewing a uniform dollar increase for psychiatric inpatient days for the rating period covering October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $297.8 million.
  • To Michigan, renewing a uniform increase established by the state for inpatient and outpatient hospital services for the rating period covering October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $4.9 billion.
  • To Michigan, renewing the uniform dollar increase established by the state for direct care workers providing personal care services to eligible enrollees for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment.
  • To Nevada, amending a uniform dollar amount for inpatient hospital and outpatient hospital services for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $1.3 billion.
  • To Nevada, renewing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient hospital and outpatient hospital services for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $197.2 million.
  • To New Jersey, introducing a uniform percentage increase for professional services provided by qualified providers employed or contracted with the AtlantiCare health system, which is affiliated with Stockton University’s nursing and allied health training programs, for the rating period covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $50.6 million.
  • To New Jersey, introducing a minimum fee schedule for facilities authorized by Casgevy and Lyfgenia manufacturers to administer the therapies for the rating period covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment up to $0, reflecting that managed care organizations are already reimbursing according to this methodology based on limited available data and therefore that no additional financial impact is expected from implementing this payment arrangement.
  • To New Mexico, renewing a uniform dollar increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services and performance-based quality payments established by the state for the state teaching hospital that provides guaranteed access to care for Native Americans for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $310 million.
  • To New Mexico, renewing the uniform percentage increase established by the state for inpatient services provided by practice plans under contract to community hospitals that serve a disproportionate share of Native American enrollees for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment up to $9.94 million.
  • To New York, renewing a population-based payment established by the state for Medicaid managed care enrollees attributed to eligible primary care providers who have active New York state patient-centered medical home recognition and have attested to developing a referral workflow with regional social care networks for the rating period covering April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, which will be incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $94.5 million.
  • To Ohio, introducing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates via a separate payment term up to $73.6 million.
  • To Ohio, introducing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates via a separate payment term up to $11.6 million.
  • To Ohio, establishing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates via a separate payment term up to $7.7 million.
  • To Ohio, introducing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient and outpatient hospital services and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates via a separate payment term up to $125 million.
  • To Ohio, establishing a uniform percentage increase for qualified practitioner services at an academic medical center and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term of up to $41 million.
  • To Ohio, introducing  a uniform percentage increase for qualified practitioner services at an academic medical center and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term of up to $52.7 million.
  • To Ohio, establishing a uniform percentage increase for qualified practitioner services at an academic medical center and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term of up to $125 million.
  • To Ohio, introducing  a uniform percentage increase for qualified practitioner services at an academic medical center and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term of up to $3.9 million.
  • To Ohio, establishing a uniform percentage increase for qualified practitioner services at an academic medical center and a value-based performance payment to providers who attain quality performance target(s) starting July 1, 2025 for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term of up to $5 million.
  • To Ohio, renewing a uniform percentage increase for inpatient and outpatient services at the University of Toledo Medical Center for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term up to $27.6 million.
  • To Tennessee, renewal of a uniform dollar increase, quality payment, and population-based payment for primary care services for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which is being incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment up to $51.7 million.
  • To Washington, renewing a uniform percentage increase established by the state for behavioral health outpatient services for Medicaid-enrolled managed care enrollees delivered by PACT teams (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment up to $3 million.
  • To Wisconsin, renewing a uniform dollar increase established by the state for inpatient and outpatient hospital services at eligible critical access, acute, and rehabilitation hospitals for the rating period covering January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, which was incorporated into capitation rates through a separate payment term amount up to $2.3 billion.
  • To Wisconsin, renewing a uniform dollar increase for eligible ground emergency ambulance services for the rating period covering January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, which has been incorporated into capitation rates through a risk-based rate adjustment up to $11.7 million.

HHS Newsletters, Reports, and Videos

  • CMS – MLN Connects – March 12
  • CMS – CMS has posted a short video explaining how to view the hospital quality reporting dashboard for individual facilities
  • CMS – RY 2027 PERM Timeline Video – CMS has posted a video presenting a comprehensive overview of the RY 2027 Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) Cycle Timeline
  • CMS – CMS has released a Quality Rating Information Bulletin to announce guidance for public display of quality rating information by all exchanges, including the federally-facilitated Exchanges (FFEs), state-based exchanges on the federal platform, and state-based exchanges that operate their own eligibility and enrollment platform, during the individual market open enrollment period for the 2027 plan year.
  • CDC – Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) – “Kaposi Sarcoma–Associated Herpesvirus Infection and Complications Among Solid Organ Transplant Recipients – United States, January 2021–September 2025” – March 5

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The CDC has collaborated with the South Carolina Department of Public Health and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to support the prevention of measles outbreaks.  The CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service will analyze outbreak data to identify transmission patterns, develop containment plans, and guide targeted vaccinations in the community.  For more information, see the press release here.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The FDA has launched a new unified platform for analyzing adverse event reports:  the FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS).  Under this new system, adverse event reports submitted to the FDA for drugs, biologics, vaccines, cosmetics, and animal food can be displayed in a single streamlined dashboard.  In the months ahead, all remaining product centers will begin processing adverse event reports in AEMS.  The agency also will migrate historical adverse event data to AEMS, decommission certain legacy systems, and roll out enhanced application program interfaces and data analytics tools.  By the end of May 2026, AEMS will contain real-time adverse event reports for all FDA-regulated products.  Learn more about this new system from this FDA news release.

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

The GAO has issued the new report “Health Care Workforce:  Federal Grants Supporting Mental Health.”  Find it here.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)

MedPAC has submitted its mandatory annual report to Congress on Medicare fee-for-service payment systems.  In this report it evaluates the adequacy of fee-for-service Medicare’s payments and make recommendations for how those payments should be updated for 2027.  For each recommendation, MedPAC presents its rationale, the implications for beneficiaries and providers, and how spending for each recommendation would compare with expected spending under current law.  The commission also is required by law to report to Congress each March on the Medicare Advantage program and the Medicare prescription drug program (Part D).  In this report it presents an overview of Medicare Advantage, including recent trends in enrollment, plan availability, and Medicare’s payment to plans, and addresses issues such as Medicare Advantage coding intensity, favorable selection, and Medicare payments and Medicare Advantage plan costs for Medicare Advantage enrollees with end-stage renal disease.  It also provides a status report on Part D that reviews information on recent trends in enrollment and plan offerings and describes the major changes that have taken place since 2025, as implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 continues.  This year’s report includes a chapter on trends and key issues in post-acute care and a status report on ambulatory surgical centers and congressionally mandated reports on the impact of changes to the home health payment system and the performance of special-needs plans for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.  Learn more from this news release, which summarizes the report, and from the report itself.

Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC)

  • MACPAC has sent its mandated annual report to Congress.  The report consists of four chapters:
    • Chapter 1 makes a recommendation to support the home- and community-based services (HCBS) workforce by requiring states to report hourly wages paid to HCBS workers to help states set effective HCBS payment rates.
    • Chapter 2 focuses on behavioral health in Medicaid and CHIP.
    • Chapter 3 looks at the role of Medicaid in supporting justice-involved youth.
    • Chapter 4 provides an overview of how Medicaid meets the needs of children in child welfare.

Learn more from this MACPAC news release, which summarizes the report, and from the complete report.

  • MACPAC’s commissioners held their most recent public meeting virtually last week.  The meeting included presentations on:
    • automation in the Medicaid prior authorization process:  policy options
    • state and federal tools for ensuring accountability of Medicaid managed care plans:  draft recommendations
    • appropriate access to residential services for children and youth with behavioral health needs:  draft policy options
    • children and youth with special health care deeds transitions to adult coverage:  draft recommendations
    • exploring the role of the state Medicaid agency in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly:  interview findings
    • provider enrollment and credentialing in Medicaid
    • mandatory and optional enrollment and spending in Medicaid
    • highlights from the February 2026 edition of MACStats

Go here for links to these presentations and MACPAC’s own summary of the two days of public meetings.

Stakeholder Events

CMS – 2026 CMS Quality Conference – March 16-18

CMS will hold its 2026 Quality Conference on Monday, March 16 through Wednesday, March 18 in Baltimore.  The theme of the conference will be “Make America Healthy Again:  Innovating Together for Better Health.”  Interested parties can participate in person or virtually.  Learn more about the conference and how to register to participate from this CMS announcement.

CMS – eCQI Resource Center – 2026 eCQM Annual Updates Webinar – March 19

CMS’s eCQI Resource Center is holding expert-to-expert webinars offered in collaboration with the Joint Commission, CMS, and eCQM stewards.  Past webinars have addressed the eCQM annual updates for 2026 implementation and offered continuing education credits for the live broadcast.  The final webinar, to be held on Thursday, March 19 at 1:00 (eastern), will address annual updates for hospital harm-pressure injury eCQM for the 2026 reporting year.  For more information and to register, go here.

CMS/eCQI Resource Center – 2026 Pre-Rulemaking Cycle Kick-Off Webinar – March 24

CMS’s eCQI Resource Center will hold a 2026 pre-rulemaking kick-off webinar on Tuesday, March 24 at 2:00 (eastern).  During the session, CMS will cover measure selection considerations; present an overview of the pre-rulemaking process; describe resources available on the measure selection hub pre-rulemaking web page; and outline updates for the 2026 submission cycle.  CMS staff also will take questions from participants.  Learn more about the event from this CMS notice and go here to register to participate.

CMS – Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Public Engagement Events – April 6-23

From April 6 through April 23, CMS hold a series of public information events to gather stakeholder information about its Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and the specific prescription drugs covered by that program.  The agency invites patients, caregivers, clinicians, and others to share their experience relevant to the drugs selected for negotiation and renegotiation under the program.  Learn more from this CMS bulletin about the public informational events and learn more about the individual events, the specific drug or drugs each event will address, and how to participate from this CMS web page.

MedPAC – Commissioners Meeting – April 9-10

MedPAC’s commissioners will hold their next public meeting virtually on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10.  An agenda for the meeting and information about how to participate have not yet been posted; when they are, they will be found here.

MACPAC – Commissioners Meeting – April 9-10

MACPAC’s commissioners will hold their next public meeting virtually on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10.  An agenda for the meeting and information about how to participate have not yet been posted; when they are, they will be found here.

HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology/Health Information Technology Advisory Committee – May 7

The Health Information Technology Advisory Committee of HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy will hold its next meeting on Thursday, May 7.  This committee’s role is to identify priorities for standards adoption and make recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy.  Learn more about the committee, its structure, and its purpose from this HHS notice, which also outlines the meeting’s agenda.  Information about how to participate in the meeting is not yet available but when it is it will be posted here.  Other 2026 meetings will be held on September 24 and November 5.