- CMS: Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction Model
- CMS: Secretarial Comments on the CBE's (Battelle Memorial Institute) 2024 Activities: Report to Congress and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- HRSA Announces Action to Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs for Life-Saving Medications at Health Centers Nationwide
- Public Inspection: HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- Increased Risk of Cyber Threats Against Healthcare and Public Health Sector
- Eight Hospitals Selected for First Cohort of Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
- Announcing the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance Research Program
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration from Cutting $11B in Health Funds from Pennsylvania and Other States
A coalition of states sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop the termination of $11 billion in grant funding to public health departments and programs, including COVID Funding. Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania joined 20 other states and Washington, D.C. in filing a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration. The suit comes about a week after state and local agencies were notified about funding cuts to services that support mental health care, substance use treatment, infectious disease monitoring and more. Thursday night a federal judge in Rhode Island granted the request from Democratic state officials to temporarily prevent President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting state health grants.
Apply Now for the 2026 Rural Health Innovation Program
The University of California Berkeley’s Rural Health Innovation (RHI) Program is accepting is now accepting applications for its next cohort of Rural Health Innovation Scholars. This program provides full-tuition scholarships for public health professionals living and working in rural communities to earn their Master of Public Health degree online. Scholars also receive a paid membership in the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).
Since its launch, the program has funded 81 professionals across 32 states, and we are excited to support another 25 scholars beginning in Spring 2026.
Scholars come from a variety of backgrounds, including healthcare, policy, and community leadership, and continue working in their rural communities while completing their degree. Participants will study alongside a diverse cohort of public health students while also engaging in a smaller group with a specialized rural health curriculum. This structure allows scholars to gain broad public health training while focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities in rural health.
The deadline to apply for the next cohort is August 3, 2025. For more information, visit UC Berkeley’s Rural Health Innovation Program.
Study Links Lack of Oral Health Care with Pregnancy Complications
A new study links a lack of oral health care with complications during pregnancy. The study, “Use of Oral Health Services Among Pregnant Women and Associations with Gestational Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy,” was recently featured in the Journal of the American Dental Association. The study found that fewer than 40% of women seek preventive oral health care during pregnancy. Women who did not receive preventive oral health care or visit a dentist or dental clinic for oral health problems during pregnancy had an increased risk of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders.
Pennsylvania Launches New State Health Improvement Plan Dashboard
The Pennsylvania Department of Health Office of Operational Excellence has published the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) dashboard. The dashboard features trends related to overarching SHIP objectives as well as individual objectives organized by workgroup and goal. It includes a list of current strategies and activities being implemented by SHIP goal team members and member organizations.