In this week’s Health Care Matters, we break down a flurry of major Medicare updates, explore the FDA’s new proposal linking drug pricing to review speed, and spotlight a powerful AI program improving end-of-life care conversations. We also share a hiring update from CMMI and highlight new research on rising Medicare spending, Medigap protections, the value of integrated ACOs for duals, and the urgent need to support unpaid caregivers.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, we explore a sharp rise in U.S. health care spending and record-high clinician participation in Advanced APMs. We cover new developments in Medicare drug negotiations and highlight efforts to break down access barriers through school-based care. You’ll also find key takeaways from the CMS Quality Conference, insights into the WISeR model, and a closer look at reform efforts in ACO REACH. Plus, we share recommended reads on clinical guideline equity and the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and offer a quick pulse check on the latest budget bill.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, we highlight the appointment of Theresa Dreyer as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Health Care Transformation Task Force. This issue also covers recent policy changes under the Trump Administration that will significantly limit Affordable Care Act enrollment and reduce available subsidies. Additionally, we report on AHIP’s new agreement with health insurers aimed at streamlining the prior authorization approval process.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, we cover the Trump Administration’s call for input on regulatory rollbacks and where providers are pushing back against Medicare conditions of participation. You’ll also find more information on the Health Equity And Leadership (HEAL) initiative at Oregon Health and Science four-step relational organizing model that centers on listening to lived experiences and building community power. Rounding out this issue are key reads on state health care cost growth targets, rethinking of the TMaH Model, and upcoming changes to the ACO REACH model for 2026.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, we spotlight Stanford Medicine’s new AI-powered tool, ChatEHR, which enables clinicians to interact with patient medical records through natural language queries. We also cover HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to dismiss all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Additionally, the issue features a look at memory cafes - community spaces that offer meaningful social support for individuals with dementia and their caregivers.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, we highlight the proposed establishment of the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) as part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ significant reorganization planned for FY 2026. This restructuring would consolidate several existing agencies, including HRSA and SAMHSA, into the newly formed AHA. The issue also features an innovative rural health care initiative led by Mission Mobile Medical Group. Additionally, we cover the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announcement regarding the expansion of its audit program for Medicare Advantage plans, increasing the scope from 60 plans annually to 550 eligible plans effective immediately.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, read about CMS’s extension of the Kidney Care Choices Model through 2027, new opportunities and challenges with implementing administrative benchmarks in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, and research showing that strong social bonds can make us happier and healthier. Also included is Andy Slavitt’s appointment as HCPLAN Executive Forum Co-Chair, a study on the impact of community health center closures on county mortality, a report showing that most health care leaders expect value-based care to drive revenue growth in 2025, and an analysis of what defaulting beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage could mean for Medicare and its beneficiaries.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, we highlight HCP-LAN’s renewed commitment to value-based care, new developments from ACO REACH, and the latest on the House reconciliation bill with significant Medicaid implications. You’ll also find insights into new price-setting efforts from HHS and CMS, a feature on community care collaboration in Dallas, and an exploration of regulatory approaches to generic drug repurposing. Rounding out this issue are key reads on gender differences in primary care earnings and community health center infrastructure, a recommended episode of Health Tech Talk Show, and a new playbook to help states advance affordable care in 2025.

In this week's Health Care Matters, we cover CMS’s new “Make America Healthy Again” strategy, proposed Medicaid cuts advancing in Congress, and Trump’s latest drug pricing order. Plus, a look at telehepatology innovation in Indiana and slow progress on prior authorization rule implementation.

In this issue, we explore Aetna’s planned exit from the ACA exchanges and what it signals for the future of individual insurance markets, as well as the implications of President Trump’s latest pharmaceutical pricing and tariff strategies. We also spotlight community clinics expanding mental health access in underserved areas, examine the national potential of CMS’s maternal health model, and share insights on whole-person care, informal caregiving, and health equity implementation strategies.

In this issue, we reflect on the sweeping health care changes from Trump’s first 100 days. Plus, we explore state cost growth challenges, shifts in CMMI priorities, and innovative efforts in suicide prevention and primary care reform.

In this issue of Health Care Matters, we unpack the implications of HHS restructuring, diverging Q1 results from major insurers, and the limits of Medicare Advantage’s long-term care benefits. Plus, we highlight a new primary care model for older adults and explore key reads on Medicare reform, insurance affordability, and primary care access.

In this issue, we examine Trump’s executive order on drug pricing, major HHS budget cuts, and the end of federal support for certain Medicaid programs. Plus, we explore rural maternity care challenges, transportation access for veterans, and what ACO benchmarks really mean.

In this week’s Health Care Matters, we explore the finalized Medicare Advantage benchmark rates for 2026, highlight the growing impact of medically tailored meals, and share tools for tracking federal policy impacts locally. Plus, dig into new resources on maternal mental health, GLP-1 access, and value-based care trends.

In this issue, we cover major shakeups at HHS, evolving risks for ACOs under the Trump administration, widespread insurer layoffs, and new insights on social risk and direct contracting. Plus, catch our latest contribution to Medicare transformation in California.

the sweeping reduction in force and restructuring at HHS, and Mehmet Oz’s continued progress toward becoming CMS Administrator. This edition also explores Medicare’s anti-obesity medication dilemma, future AI regulation, and features key reads on value-based payment, postpartum care data, and the vital role of AHRQ—plus our latest insights on building strong relationships with CMS and CMMI.

Read about the Senate’s review of Dr. Oz for CMS Administrator, MedPAC’s March 2025 Report to Congress, and the merger of Hospital-at-Home startups DispatchHealth and Medically Home. This edition also features key reads on Medicaid per capita caps, primary care spending misconceptions, copay accumulator and maximizer programs, and a Tradeoffs episode on what to expect from Medicare and Medicaid under Dr. Oz.

Explore the latest in Health Care Matters, where we break down key developments shaping the health care landscape. In this edition, the Health Policy Tracker covers the delayed Medicare payment fix in budget negotiations and CMMI’s decision to end eight payment models by 2025. We also highlight policy strategies to transition community health centers into value-based payment.

Read about the latest developments in health policy, including RFK Jr.’s reversal on his vaccine pledge to Senator Cassidy, the expanding layoffs at the U.S. Health Department affecting Medicare and the FDA, and the ongoing budget reconciliation process as policymakers navigate FY 2025 funding and health care priorities.

Read about the Senate panel advancing RFK Jr. for HHS Secretary, Trump’s early executive actions aligning with Project 2025, Medicare Advantage’s 50 million prior authorizations in 2023, the trade-offs in MSSP benchmarks, the spillover effects of the CMS Innovation Center, patient health care priorities, and policy strategies for addressing administrative and prescription drug costs.