Close Menu
Gossips Today
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Healthcare
  • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Business
  • Recipes
What's Hot

Groww, backed by Satya Nadella, set to become first Indian startup to go public after U.S.-to-India move

Doctors slam specialty cuts in 2026 Medicare pay proposal

Utah’s Largest Resort Just Opened in Greater Zion With 7 Bars and Restaurants—Here's a First Look Inside

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Wednesday, September 17
Gossips Today
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
  • Tech & Innovation

    Groww, backed by Satya Nadella, set to become first Indian startup to go public after U.S.-to-India move

    September 17, 2025

    Rivian breaks ground on $5B Georgia factory ahead of construction in 2026

    September 16, 2025

    Nothing closes $200M Series C led by Tiger Global, plans AI-first device launch

    September 16, 2025

    Apple’s iOS 26 with the new Liquid Glass design is now available to everyone

    September 15, 2025

    Vibe coding has turned senior devs into ‘AI babysitters,’ but they say it’s worth it

    September 15, 2025
  • Healthcare

    Doctors slam specialty cuts in 2026 Medicare pay proposal

    September 17, 2025

    More than half of healthcare workers are considering taking new jobs next year: survey

    September 16, 2025

    The best AI models for behavioral health will ultimately be owned by health plans, not vendors

    September 16, 2025

    A key CDC panel meets this week to discuss vaccines. Here’s what to know.

    September 15, 2025

    Pacs Group CFO resigns amid allegations of improper conduct

    September 15, 2025
  • Personal Finance

    How to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

    September 10, 2025

    Real Estate Report 2024 – Ramsey

    September 9, 2025

    How Much Car Can I Afford?

    September 9, 2025

    21 Cheap Beach Vacations for 2025

    August 5, 2025

    Car Depreciation: How Much Is Your Car Worth?

    August 4, 2025
  • Lifestyle

    Why Some Linen Sucks

    September 4, 2025

    We Dug Through the Labor Day Sales So You Don’t Have To

    September 3, 2025

    What Terms on Alcohol Labels Really Mean: The Words You Trust and the Tricks You Miss

    August 28, 2025

    18 Higher-Quality Sale Finds at Lower Prices from Todd Snyder, Madewell, and L.L. Bean

    August 24, 2025

    The Late Summer Weekend Uniform That Works Inside and Out

    August 22, 2025
  • Travel

    Utah’s Largest Resort Just Opened in Greater Zion With 7 Bars and Restaurants—Here's a First Look Inside

    September 17, 2025

    7 Charming U.S. Small Towns That Are Perfect for a Fall Getaway

    September 16, 2025

    This Luxe New Spa in Canada's Banff National Park Lets You Soak in Glacier-fed Waters With Views of Lake Louise

    September 16, 2025

    American Express Just Made It Easier to Plan and Book Trips With Its New Travel App

    September 15, 2025

    5 Best Hotel Stores in the World—With Perfect Gifts and Exclusive Merch

    September 15, 2025
  • Business

    Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz consortium will control 80% of TikTok in U.S.: Report

    September 17, 2025

    Markets rally as the Fed meets to decide on what could be 2025’s first interest rate cut

    September 16, 2025

    Corporate social impact is experiencing a market correction

    September 16, 2025

    The Federal Reserve faces these 3 unknowns ahead of its September meeting

    September 15, 2025

    How to watch the 2025 Emmy Awards live, including free options

    September 15, 2025
  • Recipes

    cabbage and halloumi skewers

    September 10, 2025

    double chocolate zucchini bread

    August 21, 2025

    grilled chicken salad with cilantro-lime dressing

    August 7, 2025

    chipwich ice cream cake

    July 26, 2025

    focaccia with zucchini and potatoes

    July 12, 2025
Gossips Today
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Healthcare
  • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Business
  • Recipes
Health & Wellness

Biden signs funding bill extending telehealth flexibilities, but no relief for doctors — or PBM reform

gossipstodayBy gossipstodayDecember 24, 2024No Comments5 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Copy Link Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Biden Signs Funding Bill Extending Telehealth Flexibilities, But No Relief
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

President Joe Biden signed a stripped down funding bill on Saturday, averting a government shutdown during the holiday season.

Congress agreed to a sweeping package earlier last week that included a number of important healthcare provisions, including an extension of telehealth flexibilities, relief from scheduled Medicare cuts for physicians and reform for controversial pharmacy benefit managers.

However, of the major healthcare changes only an extension of virtual care waivers made it into the final bill, after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk panned the initial package as overly expensive.

Physicians slammed Congress for failing to prevent the Medicare cuts from going into effect.

“For the fifth consecutive year, Congress has adjourned and allowed Medicare cuts. What will be the result? Patients struggling to access health care. Physicians closing or selling their private practices while others opt to leave the profession,” said Bruce Scott, the president of the American Medical Association, in a statement.

Congress has to step in at the end of the year and avert scheduled cuts due to statutory requirements around how Medicare pays doctors. That creates significant stress for physicians, who have amplified calls for a permanent fix to the situation.

Without relief in the stopgap funding bill, physicians’ Medicare funding will fall by 2.8% in 2025.

With that cut, Medicare rates have fallen 33% over the past two decades when adjusted for physician costs, according to the AMA.

“The Medicare payment system is broken,” Scott said. “Congress must enact meaningful long-term reforms.”

Physician groups support tying annual reimbursement hikes to a measure of inflation, a policy backed by some members of Congress and influential advisory groups.

Reform will likely be on the table in Congress next year. There’s also a chance lawmakers could pass relief in 2025 that’s applied retroactively, making physicians whole for some or all of the 2.8% cut.

The final bill is a “huge congressional failure to the detriment of the nation’s Medicare patients and their physicians,” said Anders Gilberg, the top lobbyist for the Medical Group Management Association, in a statement. “Physician practices head into the new year facing uncertainty and financial shortfalls that not only negatively impact the viability of their Medicare business, but their commercial contracts tied to Medicare rates, as well as Medicaid reimbursement in states that use Medicare as a benchmark.”

With the final bill, pharmacy benefit managers, companies that sit in between payers and pharmaceutical companies in the drug supply chain, have once again sidestepped legislative reform despite months of rising scrutiny from Washington.

The original funding agreement would have, among other things, forced PBMs to pass through all rebates they get from drugmakers to their plan clients in Medicare and the group health market. It would have represented the most meaningful reform of the sector ever, though its impact on drug prices was unclear.

However, it’s likely PBM reform will be resuscitated in Congress next year too, given Trump has expressed an interest in reining in PBMs.

As for telehealth, Congress including a three-month extension of current Medicare telehealth flexibilities, down significantly from the two-year window in the original agreement.

Telehealth groups said they were grateful for the extension, which allows temporary changes to telehealth rules first enacted during COVID-19 to continue, such as allowing patients to receive virtual care in their homes.

Losing the flexibilities would have been a huge hit to virtual care companies like Teladoc that saw business soar over the pandemic but have struggled recently amid a larger return to in-person care.

“Providers who deliver, and millions of patients who rely on, virtual care cannot face this kind of uncertainty if we are going to unlock the full potential of telehealth. We look forward to working with members of the new Congress on permanent solutions to safeguard access to telehealth,” said Alye Mlinar, executive director of lobbying group Telehealth Access for America, in a statement.

The bill would also extend the CMS’ Acute Hospital Care At Home program through March 31. The initiative, first enacted during the pandemic to boost hospital capacity during COVID surges, allows approved Medicare-certified facilities to provide inpatient level care in patients’ homes.

“While this isn’t the outcome we had fully hoped for, the [American Telemedicine Association is] appreciative of this legislation as an important step to avoid disruptions in critical areas of telehealth access,” said Kyle Zebley, senior vice president of public policy at the ATA.

The bill also extends funding for community health centers and prevents payment cuts in Medicaid to hospitals that serve vulnerable patients.

It does not include an extension of the debt limit — a key Trump demand. 

The Senate approved the bill in an 85-11 vote early Saturday, hours after the House of Representatives passed the bill 366-34 late Friday night, with one member voting present.

Biden signed the bill Saturday morning.

“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted,” the president said in a statement.

Biden bill doctors extending flexibilities funding PBM Reform relief signs telehealth
Follow on Google News Follow on Flipboard
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email Copy Link
Previous Article10 Tips for How to Make Friends
Next Article Hyundai is giving away free Tesla NACs adapters to its EV customers
admin
gossipstoday
  • Website

Related Posts

Doctors slam specialty cuts in 2026 Medicare pay proposal

September 17, 2025

More than half of healthcare workers are considering taking new jobs next year: survey

September 16, 2025

The best AI models for behavioral health will ultimately be owned by health plans, not vendors

September 16, 2025
Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Demo
Trending Now

Groww, backed by Satya Nadella, set to become first Indian startup to go public after U.S.-to-India move

Doctors slam specialty cuts in 2026 Medicare pay proposal

Utah’s Largest Resort Just Opened in Greater Zion With 7 Bars and Restaurants—Here's a First Look Inside

Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz consortium will control 80% of TikTok in U.S.: Report

Latest Posts

Groww, backed by Satya Nadella, set to become first Indian startup to go public after U.S.-to-India move

September 17, 2025

Doctors slam specialty cuts in 2026 Medicare pay proposal

September 17, 2025

Utah’s Largest Resort Just Opened in Greater Zion With 7 Bars and Restaurants—Here's a First Look Inside

September 17, 2025

Subscribe to News

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated with the latest news and exclusive offers.

Advertisement
Demo
Black And Beige Minimalist Elegant Cosmetics Logo (4) (1)
Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest Vimeo WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

Categories

  • Tech & Innovation
  • Health & Wellness
  • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle & Productivity

Company

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us

Services

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Disclaimer

Subscribe to Updates

© 2025 Gossips Today. All Right Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.