Health Policy Reports

Biweekly newsletter of stories impacting community cancer care.

Health Policy Report – February 21, 2023

Dr. Debra Patt Testifies on PBMs at Senate Commerce Committee Hearing On February 16, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing entitled “Bringing Transparency and Accountability to Pharmacy Benefit Managers.” The hearing featured testimony from Debra Patt, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, physician at Texas Oncology and Chair of The Network’s Public Policy and Reimbursement Committee. In…

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Health Policy Report – January 24, 2023

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…

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Health Policy Report – January 10, 2023

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…

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Health Policy Report – December 20, 2022

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…

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Health Policy Report – December 5, 2022

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…

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Health Policy Report – November 18, 2022

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…

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Health Policy Report – November 9, 2023

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…

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Health Policy Report – October 21, 2022

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…

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Health Policy Report – October 11, 2022

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

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Health Policy Report – September 26, 2022

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

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