Election Updates
Republicans secured control of the House of Representative this week. This means Republicans have a trifecta and will be able to move legislation, especially via the reconciliation process. Republicans are expected to have a narrow House control, which could slow the passage of legislation. Also, this week Senate Republicans confirmed a new Senate majority leader, John Thune. Senator Thune is expected to maintain the Senate’s filibuster, which could limit the scope of what legislation Republicans could pass.
What to Watch
The incoming Trump Administration is expected to name key positions for its health care agenda (e.g., HHS Secretary) in the next few days. While there is considerable uncertainty as to who will ultimately land the job the Washington Post reported that early leads included: Robert Kennedy, Jr, Bobby Jindal, Eric Hargen, Ben Carson, Seema Verma, and Paul Mango.
Key Upcoming Dates
The current spending bill expires on December 20th so potential lame duck items like telehealth extension or changes to Medicare physician payments are likely to occur before then (if they happen). The new Congress would be sworn in on January 3rd while President-elect Trump would be sworn in January 20th. Potential legislation therefore would likely begin to take shape in February 2025.
Other News and Notes
- Cigna announced that it will not merge with Humana and instead use extra capital on stock buy back.
- Johnson and Johnson sued HHS to back its 340b rebate model.
