This week in Washington: The 117th Congress will be in session on Jan. 21. Administration CMS: 2022 Requests for Applications for the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model and its Hospice Benefit ComponentOn Jan. 8, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model team will host a webinar on Jan. 14, 2021, from 4-5 p.m. ET. During this webinar, presenters will provide a brief review of the recently released…

Coronavirus Relief Summary On Monday, December 21, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which includes the highly anticipated coronavirus relief package. The $900 billion relief package includes funding for stimulus checks, unemployment benefits, small businesses, vaccine distribution, health care, education, transportation, rental assistance, and agriculture. President Trump is expected to sign the legislation. Compared to the CARES Act, the stimulus checks in this new relief package are smaller. Taxpayers making less than $75,000…

Summary On December 21, 2020, Congress released and passed its long-awaited coronavirus relief package, which was part of a nearly 5,600 page 2021 government appropriations bill. The $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus is the result of weeks of intense bipartisan negotiations. Congress voted to approve the bill on Monday night, and President Trump is expected to sign it into law shortly. There are significant changes to the CARES Act and additional funding for several industry sectors.…

House and Senate Reach Deal on $900B COVID-19 Relief Package and Omnibus Appropriations Bill; Vote Today On Dec. 21, the House and Senate reached an agreement on a pandemic rescue measure of $900 billion that will be attached to a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill for the fiscal year, and includes a variety of health provisions. The bill is set to be voted on today. The COVID-19 relief measure includes $286 billion for direct economic…

Trump Signs One-Week CR Spending Bill On Dec. 11, President Trump signed a continuing resolution to give Congress an additional week to come up with full-year spending legislation and avoid a government shutdown. The CR sets a new funding deadline of Dec. 18. The House passed the bill 343-67, and Senate passed the bill by voice vote. FDA Announces It Will Quickly Authorize Pfizer Vaccine On Dec. 11, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified…

This week in Washington: COVID-19 relief bill negotiations begin in earnest; Congress works on Appropriations bills hoping to have them passed before government funding ends on Dec. 11. House Pelosi, Schumer Support Bipartisan $908B Pandemic Relief ProposalOn Dec. 2, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said they are endorsing a new compromise $908 billion pandemic relief bill as a framework for negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Minority…

This week in Washington: Congress gets organized for next Congress; House passes health care bills; COVID-19 vaccine is the talk of the town. House House Passes 10 Health Care BillsOn Nov. 17, the House passed 10 health care-related bills that include legislation to support new research into health disparities, improvements to food and drug labeling, and a new $10 million grant program for trauma centers that intervene in cyclical violence. The legislation also provides $1.5 billion…