Leigh Feldman
Subscribe to Leigh Feldman's PostsLeigh offers clients nuanced health policy and legislative affairs insights informed by more than a decade of experience at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and on Capitol Hill. A skilled legislative and regulatory strategist, Leigh helps clients evaluate health policy proposals and anticipate policy changes. Read Leigh Feldman's full bio.
Virtual Care Policy Update: What to Expect in Lame Duck
By Rachel Stauffer and Leigh Feldman on Nov 19, 2024
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2023 (Public Law 117-328), extended certain key virtual care flexibilities instituted during the COVID-19 public health emergency through December 31, 2024. This includes the telehealth safe harbor for health savings account-eligible high deductible health plans. Without congressional action, these waivers and flexibilities will end on December 31, 2024. Read the...
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HHS, Labor, and Treasury Finalize Mental Health Parity Rule
By Katie Waldo, Rachel Stauffer, Erica Stocker, Jeffrey Davis, Leigh Feldman, Julia Grabo and Maddie News on Sep 26, 2024
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
On September 9, 2024, the US Departments of Health and Human Services , Labor, and the Treasury finalized a rule related to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. This rule introduces significant updates to mental health and substance use disorder benefits, ensuring parity with medical and surgical benefits. Key changes include enhanced protections...
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Exploring the Virtual Care Policy Landscape One Year Post-PHE
By Rachel Stauffer, Leigh Feldman, Julia Grabo, Rachel Hollander and Erica Stocker on Jun 13, 2024
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
May 11, 2024, marked one year since the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), and not much has changed in Medicare telehealth policy. We are still operating under temporary waivers and flexibilities and, as a result, many pandemic-era virtual care policies are facing a cliff on December 31, 2024. This looms large during...
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Potential Election Year Shakeup: Regulatory Implications of the Congressional Review Act
By Leigh Feldman on Apr 23, 2024
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) empowers Congress to act to invalidate regulations issued by federal agencies. These regulations include final rules, interim final rules and guidance documents. The CRA is most practically used by a new Congress to invalidate regulations issued by a previous administration and received within 60 legislative days of the previous Congress’...
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2024: The Year of the Telehealth Cliff
By Lisa Schmitz Mazur, Rachel Stauffer, Debra Curtis and Leigh Feldman on Feb 5, 2024
Posted In Digital Health, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
What does December 31, 2024, mean to you? New Year’s Eve? Post-2024 election? Too far away to know? Our answer: December 31, 2024, is when we will go over a “telehealth cliff” if Congress fails to act before that date, directly impacting care and access for Medicare beneficiaries. What is this telehealth cliff? Read more...
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Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform: What’s on the Horizon? (December 2023 Update)
By Leigh Feldman, Amy Kelbick, Rachel Stauffer, Erica Stocker and Katie Waldo on Dec 27, 2023
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
The price of prescription drugs has brought scrutiny to the entire drug supply chain. Congress and other policymakers continue to seek opportunities to lower costs for patients and the federal government. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are a key stakeholder in the drug supply chain, functioning as intermediaries between insurance providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Congress and...
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Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform: What’s on the Horizon?
By Rachel Stauffer, Katie Waldo, Amy Kelbick, Leigh Feldman and Erica Stocker on Oct 17, 2023
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
The price of prescription drugs has brought scrutiny to the entire drug supply chain. Congress and other policymakers continue to seek opportunities to lower costs for patients and the federal government. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are a key stakeholder in the drug supply chain, functioning as intermediaries between insurance providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. PBMs administer...
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A Look into House Efforts on Hospital and Health Plan Price Transparency
By Leigh Feldman and Rachel Stauffer on Sep 19, 2023
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
In the 118th Congress, the US House of Representatives is keenly interested in healthcare price transparency. Three House committees—Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce—each approved legislation that would advance price transparency objectives. Generally, these bills seek to codify (or modify) the requirements around hospital and health plan price transparency as...
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