Policy Blog

Timely and informative health policy content
authored and curated by Savage Health Policy

Policy Digest — July 6, 2026

This week: CMS’s draft 2027 outpatient rule takes aim at 340B and site-neutral pay, Medicare’s GLP-1 coverage era begins, and the Medicaid work-requirement fight lands in court.

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Policy Digest — June 8, 2026

This week: CMS released a sweeping Medicaid work requirements rule that blindsided states, patient advocates, and health systems—reshaping a coverage landscape already under strain from record-low children’s enrollment.

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Policy Digest — June 1, 2026

This week: the No Surprises Act arbitration overhaul, a $775 billion Medicaid state-directed payments proposed rule, and a full cycle of TAVR clinical evidence.

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Policy Digest — May 18, 2026

The Trump administration’s FDA lost its second top official in four days this week, as CDER acting director Tracy Beth Høeg’s departure compounded the void left by Commissioner Marty Makary’s resignation and in a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court declined to revive the challenge to Medicare drug price negotiation, clearing a significant legal obstacle for the Inflation Reduction Act’s implementation.

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Policy Digest — May 11, 2026

This week the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s antidepressant deprescribing campaign, House Oversight Chair James Comer pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to explain whether Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code complexity fuels improper billing, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blocked publication of internal research finding COVID and shingles vaccines safe.

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Policy Digest—April 27, 2026

This week’s biggest regulatory development was the joint CMS-FDA launch of the RAPID Coverage Pathway — a new fast-track mechanism for Medicare coverage of breakthrough devices — covered in depth in the Spotlight below, alongside a parallel IPPS proposal to repeal a key NTAP payment incentive for the same device category.

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New Drug Pricing Changes and Utilization Management

You may have heard about the Inflation Reduction Act or changes regarding the Medicare program’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices. Join me as I host fellow colleagues for a discussion about what these changes mean for you.

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