Overview
A recent KFF Health poll found that ~50% of voters are more motivated than ever to vote on Nov. 8 — and 55% of those same voters polled said healthcare issues would be top of mind when it comes time to cast their ballots. Significant changes have happened across the healthcare industry — and regardless of what side of the aisle you find yourself on, we can all agree that the mid-term election results will undoubtedly influence healthcare policy as we know it.

EHI’s Policy Steering Committee members broke down the election results, predicted what’s on deck for Congress in 2023, and reviewed the results’ potential impacts on healthcare policy.

Featured Speakers:

• Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO, Executives for Health Innovation
• Julie Clements, JD, MPP, Vice President, External Affairs, UnitedHealth Group
• David Pugach, Vice President, Governmental Affairs and Public Policy, American College of Physicians

On Monday, March 28th, 2022, President Biden released his federal budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23). In addition to the topline budget, each agency releases budget justification documents to Congress outlining their activities and planned activities with the money requested. Budget documents are non-binding and are only reflective of what the administration is asking Congress to approve for the upcoming fiscal year. Below is a summary of provisions related to EHI’s priority areas.

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Request for Information on Strengthening Community Health through Technology.

Executives for Health Innovation (EHI) strongly supports efforts to advance the use of technology in community health. Download our response below.

ONC Request for Information on Electronic Prior Authorization Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria

Executives for Health Innovation (EHI) strongly supports efforts to advance electronic prior authorization (ePA) and we commend ONC for continued attention on this issue. While ONC’s Certification Program is an important aspect, it has not, to date, included health payer health IT systems. We urge ONC to continue to work with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to advance a coordinated approach to ePA.

EHI staff prepared a summary of provisions in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Funding bill related to EHI’s policy principles. The legislation included funding provisions related to telehealth, cybersecurity, and interoperability. Non-funding provisions included Medicare telehealth changes and the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act.

The House Republican-led Modernization Subcommittee Healthy Future Task Force was conceived to examine workable policies to modernize and personalize America’s health care system, support innovative treatments, restore the doctor-patient relationship and provide all Americans more affordable health care options that fit their individual needs. The task force aims to make sure the U.S. is prepared for the next pandemic and ensure our country has a more resilient medical supply chain.

The Task Force is seeking feedback from stakeholders regarding the utilization of wearable technologies, expansion of telemedicine, and the digital modernization efforts in the U.S. healthcare system. Download EHI's response below.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the cracks of the nation’s outdated and fragmented public health system. EHI believes one of the most important steps to modernizing the public health system is ensuring an adequate and consistent funding stream. We appreciate the work thus far from the Senate HELP Committee on the PREVENT Pandemics Act and we look forward to continuing to provide input to the Committee as they look to advance legislation to modernize the nation’s public health system.

EHI joined more than 100 organizations this week in urging Congress to reinstate virtual care access for those with high-deductible health plans with health savings accounts (HDHP-HSAs).

As part of the CARES Act, Congress allowed employers and health plans to provide pre-deductible coverage for telehealth services for employees with HDPH-HSAs (32 million Americans). This flexibility expired on December 31, 2021, and organizations are urging Congress to take action to reinstate, especially given the recent surge in COVID cases.

On July 13, 2021 the Calendar Year 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program proposed rule was released. The rule proposes changes to Medicare payment policies for 2021. On November 2, the final rule was released. Below is a summary chart of CMS’ health IT-related proposals, eHI’s comments on the proposals, and subsequent final rule provisions.