Hospitals Worry HRSA’s Latest 340B RFI Aims To Avoid Legal Risks, Not Address Concerns
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) issued a second request for information (RFI) on the 340B drug discount program, proposing a pilot that would convert the current discount model into a rebate system. The proposal is slated for review by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). A leading trade association representing 340B hospitals warns that HRSA’s focus appears to be on avoiding future lawsuits rather than implementing safeguards to protect hospitals from financial strain. Stakeholders fear the shift could destabilize the program that supports low‑income patient care.
Controversial Oncology Drug Gets Third Review From FDA
Replimune has resubmitted its oncology therapy RP1 for a third FDA review, hoping new agency leadership will overturn the earlier rejection. The drug, which targets a novel tumor antigen, was previously declined under former commissioner Marty Makary and deputy Vinay...
VRBPAC Chooses Strain For COVID-19 Vaccine Targeting, Not In Agreement With WHO
The FDA’s Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted on May 28 to recommend that the 2026‑2027 COVID‑19 vaccine target the currently dominant XFG variant. This recommendation diverges from the World Health Organization’s advice, which continues to endorse...
AARP Urges Congress To Quickly Address Social Security, Medicare Solvency
AARP is urging Congress to act swiftly on the looming financing gaps in Social Security and Medicare before the programs’ 2026 trustees report. The organization warns that rising health‑care expenses and cost‑of‑living pressures are already straining older Americans. Delaying reforms...
CDC Asks For Screening Assistance As Ebola Outbreak Grows
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked staff to volunteer as screeners at Washington Dulles and Atlanta Hartsfield‑Jackson airports amid a rising Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Africa. The virus, a highly lethal strain, has prompted heightened vigilance as...
Families USA Sounds Alarm Over Rumored IFR Work Req Restrictions
Families USA has issued a warning ahead of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) interim final rule that will implement the Medicaid work‑requirement provisions of H.R. 1. The advocacy group fears the rule could narrow the definition of a...
ACS CAN Urges Congress To Fight Proposed Cuts To NIH
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) has urged Congress to block proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the FY2027 budget. While the White House proposes a modest increase for the National Cancer Institute, the...
Taxpayer Group Urges Senate To Reject MFN Legislation As TrumpRx Talks Continue
The fiscally conservative Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is urging Senate members to reject any effort to codify a most‑favored‑nation (MFN) drug‑pricing rule. TPA argues that MFN would function as de facto price controls, jeopardizing pharmaceutical innovation and risking drug shortages. The...
House GOP Requests CBO Explain Lacking Budget Benefits From Drug Price Controls
House GOP health‑committee leaders have asked the Congressional Budget Office to explain why its original estimate for the Inflation Reduction Act’s Part D redesign was far too low and why the projected savings from the new drug‑negotiation program have not materialized....
Time Ticking Away For OMB To Release Behavioral Health NOFOs
Federal agencies have yet to issue the expected FY 2026 behavioral health Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), with roughly 50 grants still pending OMB approval. Historically, these announcements arrive in mid‑September to allow states and community organizations to plan before the...
Water Fluoridation Opponents Suffer Court Setback
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated and remanded a district judge’s ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) improperly denied a petition by anti‑fluoridation groups seeking to ban water fluoridation. The appellate court agreed the lower judge...
DOJ Aims Enforcement At Reducing Anticompetitive Health Practices
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced that it will intensify enforcement against anticompetitive practices in the pharmacy‑benefit manager (PBM) market. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Sarrine highlighted consolidation and vertical integration as priority concerns, even though a recent HHS...
CMS Preserves Access To Telehealth Under Six-Month Hospice Moratorium
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that telehealth services will remain available to Medicare hospice beneficiaries despite a sweeping six‑month moratorium on new hospice and home‑health agency enrollments. The decision, made under the Trump administration, preserves virtual...
E&C Passes Wheelchair Access, ACO Digital Quality Bills
On May 21, 2026, the House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously approved two bipartisan bills. One creates new Medicare billing codes specifically for wheelchairs, expanding coverage for patients who need mobility assistance. The second bill streamlines reporting requirements for providers...
Democrats Scrutinize CMS’ Unintentional Leak Of Provider Social Security Numbers
Top congressional Democrats are pressing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for answers after the agency unintentionally released a batch of National Provider Directory records that included providers' Social Security numbers. The data breach was discovered when the...