A Look at This Year's Busy Federal Health Policy Landscape

Faegre Drinker Consulting principals Nick Manetto and Mike Adelberg coauthored an article for Law360 that details the crowded and unsettled federal health care legislative and regulatory landscapes for 2022.

The authors highlight that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom large over the legislative agenda, particularly as health care providers hit the two-year mark of the pandemic. They also discuss several health care provisions included in the Build Back Better Act, such as proposals to expand Medicaid in states that have not yet done so and to redesign the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit to limit beneficiary exposure to significant cost-sharing.

Manetto and Adelberg break down the regulatory agenda as well, which for health care stakeholders, includes the slew of annual rules that dictate payment and other policies for much of the Medicare program, including inpatient hospitals, outpatient departments, physician offices, skilled nursing facilities, home health and Medicare Advantage. Overall, they note that 2022 will likely be the year in which the Biden administration goes from foreshadowing its major regulatory initiatives to implementing them, particularly as they relate to health equity and mental health parity enforcement.