Health Policy Reports

CMS Outlines Plan to Implement Drug Price Negotiation The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced its plan for implementing its drug price negotiation program. As authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), CMS now has the power to directly negotiate drug prices for certain high-expenditure, single-source Medicare Part B or Part D…

118th Congress Elects Speaker, Selects Committee Chairs After Rocky Start   Just after midnight on Saturday morning, after fifteen painstaking votes, the 118th Congress elected Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House. The hold-up was due to a group of 20 defecting Republicans predominately aligned with the House Freedom Caucus. This is the first…

Congress Closes in on Year-End Deal  Early Tuesday morning, congressional appropriators unveiled a 4,155-page, $1.7 trillion bill that will fund the government through September 30, 2023, and help mitigate some of the planned cuts in Medicare. Final passage of the omnibus bill is expected by Christmas Eve.    This comes as providers and lawmakers lobbied hard…

Op-ed by Dr. Marcus Neubauer: “Medicare is cutting critical cancer care funding — it’s time for Congress to step in”  On November 29, The Hill published an op-ed written by Dr. Marcus Neubauer, chief medical officer of The Network. His op-ed warned the serious cuts included in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule…

With Congress Divided, Questions Remain About Key Leadership Roles and the Federal Healthcare Policy Agenda   The 118th Congress will officially be divided when it begins in January. With Democrats narrowly maintaining control of the Senate and Republicans winning a slim majority in the House, it is unclear how this will impact the healthcare agenda in…

The Network Hosts Senator Bill Cassidy for Breakfast Discussion  The US Oncology Network recently hosted a breakfast discussion with Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) in The Woodlands, TX. Senator Cassidy is a gastroenterologist who has served in the Senate since 2014 and sits on the Finance, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and Veterans’ Affairs…

Congressman Neal Dunn Visits Florida Cancer Affiliates   On October 19, Congressman Neal Dunn (R-FL) visited the Florida Cancer Affiliates practice in Panama City, Florida. Dr. Steven Finkelstein led a tour of the clinic and spoke with Congressman Dunn about issues impacting community oncology, such as the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and implications of the newly…

The Network Joins Over 100 Stakeholders in Support of Legislation to Address Physician Payment Cuts

CMS Announces Lower Part B Premiums for Calendar Year 2023

Latest Updates on the Implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act

Over 800 Stakeholders Ask Congress to Extend Advanced APM Incentives

House Unanimously Passes Prior Authorization Reform Bill

Reps. Bera and Bucshon Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Block Physician Cuts

Nearly 400 Organizations Urge Lawmakers to Extend Telehealth Flexibilities

Senate Republicans Express Concerns About Drug Pricing Program in Letter to HHS

Patients’ Out-of-Pocket-Costs for Cancer Care are Rising

New Study Shows Cancer Rate in Adults Below Age 50 Has Drastically Increased

The Network Submits Comments to CMS on the Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule

President Biden Delivers Historic Speech on Cancer Moonshot Initiative Alongside his Nominee to Lead ARPA-H

Patient Advocacy Groups Sue HHS, CMS Over Co-Pay Accumulator Program Rule 

Providers and Advocates Urge Prior Authorization Reform for Medicare Advantage Plans

Employer Group Launches Tool to Negotiate Prices for Hospital Services

OIG Releases Two New Reports on Telehealth Use During Pandemic