A federal appeals court rejected a Trump administration rule that allowed Arkansas and other states to impose work requirements on its low-income residents who received Medicaid benefits, further blocking a marquee issue for the president. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Friday that the White House had acted unlawfully and that Health Secretary Alex Azar’s. obamacare Dec 16, 2019
People will get more time to sign up for “Obamacare” health insurance, the Trump administration announced Monday, following a spate of computer glitches over the weekend. The new HealthCare.gov deadline is 3 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a statement. Coverage takes effect Jan. 1.
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This week in Washington: President Joe Biden begins his term and Congress begins work to confirm cabinet secretaries.
Congress
Administration
HHS Delays Trump Administration Final Rule on Health Clinics’ 340B Drug Discounts
CMS Releases an Informational Bulletin on the Extension of Grace Period Related to the Four Walls Requirement for IHS/Tribal Facilities
CMS: Part D Senior Savings Model – CY 2022 Pharmaceutical Manufacturer RFA Released
CMS: Applications for MIPS Exceptions Due to COVID-19 Now Due Feb. 1
Proposed Rules
Final Rules/Guidance
HHS: Final Rule Sets Term Limits for Agency Policy Directors
PHARMA: Biden Freezes Trump’s Lower Cost Insulin and Epinephrine Rule
Posted on 01/22/2021
Big pharma is smiling big right now. The big three insulin producers are Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk A/S, and Sanofi S.A., in which they dominate more than 90% of the world insulin market by value. After swearing-in, U.S. President Joe Biden’s HHS froze the Trump administration’s December 2020 drug policy that mandates community health centers to pass on all their insulin and epinephrine discount savings to patients.
The rule was finalized in late December 2020. The drug rule was put in place to benefit patients who have a hard time paying for expensive insulin and allergy medication. Former President Trump campaigned on lowering the price of important pharmaceutical drugs like insulin, which is used to treat diabetes, and epinephrine. Diabetes afflicts over a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries and drives billions in Medicare spending every year. More than 20 million Americans