Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Court Blocks Rule That Would Cause 1.8M To Lose ACA Coverage
A federal court in Maryland has blocked several parts of a health insurance exchange enrollment and eligibility rule days before they were set to take effect. The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland temporarily stayed seven provisions from a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule issued June 20 and set to go live Monday. (Early, 8/22)
More on the high cost of health care 鈥
American Academy of Family Physicians CEO Shawn Martin said he is ready to move past the initial shock and anger after Congress handed down more than $1.1 trillion in cuts to healthcare programs. Martin recalled watching the sunset and contemplating the pending cuts July 3, the day before the tax law was signed by President Donald Trump. (Hudson, 8/22)
When Hurricane Helene forced a rural Tennessee hospital into a dramatic rooftop evacuation last September, its top executive vowed to rebuild the damaged facility as he watched the rescue unfold from a washed-out bridge. That promise is now in peril because of the One Big Beautiful Bill. (Wittenberg, 8/24)
Hospitals and other healthcare organizations pursuing mergers and acquisitions may face fewer regulatory hurdles after President Donald Trump revoked antitrust guidance. Trump last week withdrew a 2021 executive order on competition issued by former President Joe Biden. The executive order had broadly reaffirmed federal agencies鈥 role in breaking up monopolies and boosting competition across all sectors of the economy. (Kacik, 8/22)
The passage last month of President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥淏ig Beautiful Bill鈥 represents the biggest overhaul of the nation鈥檚 health system since the passage of the Affordable Care Act and probably the greatest rollback of federal healthcare spending in history. But that doesn鈥檛 mean conservative groups who led the charge are done. Indeed, there are major items that fell out of the tax-and-spending law many would very much like to continue pursuing, either through further legislation or executive actions. (McAuliff, 8/22)
BJC Health System is phasing out its pension plan, barring new participants since the start of July. The nonprofit health system in a statement Thursday said current participants will be able to contribute and accrue benefits until 2030, when the plan will be frozen. (Suntrup, 8/22)
The owner of the United States' largest pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) is declining to cover Gilead Sciences鈥 long-acting HIV prevention breakthrough, at least for now. CVS Health, the parent of PBM juggernaut CVS Caremark, won鈥檛 presently add Gilead鈥檚 twice-yearly pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug Yeztugo to its commercial plans or Affordable Care Act formularies, a company spokesperson confirmed to Fierce Pharma. (Kansteiner, 8/21)
