December 20, 2022
D.C. News
  • Congressional appropriators released a $1.7 trillion fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill early Tuesday morning. The package includes several health care provisions: 1) omit 2.5 percentage points of a scheduled 4.5 percent cut to the Medicare physician fee schedule in 2023, and 1.25 percentage points of cuts in 2024; 2) revamp the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast-track drug approval process that lets drugmakers sell their products based on preliminary evidence; 3) convert the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director into a Senate-confirmed position; 4) extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities for two years; and 5) remove a requirement that providers get a special waiver before being able to prescribe buprenorphine. (Articles here, here, here and here)