Rachel Stauffer
Subscribe to Rachel Stauffer's PostsRachel is a highly experienced government relations and legislative affairs strategist and advocate who is informed by a solid foundation of health policy knowledge.
Prior to joining McDermottPlus, Rachel served as the director of policy and government relations for a health IT contractor, where she developed the company’s first strategic plan for government relations. She grew the company’s profile on Capitol Hill by establishing new relationships with key leaders in the federal, state and military health program space. As a result, the company became an authoritative source on a variety of legislative approaches, especially related to veterans’ health. Read Rachel Stauffer's full bio.
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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Telehealth: Regulatory Questions Amid Legislative Uncertainty
By Jeffrey Davis and Rachel Stauffer on Jul 18, 2024
Posted In Digital Health, Health and Welfare Plans
One year on from the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Medicare restrictions on telehealth that Congress waived to allow for and expand the use of telehealth and other forms of virtual care are set to expire. Congress has already acted twice to extend the waivers, most recently in the Consolidated Appropriations Act,...
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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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2024 Chart of Healthcare Regulations
By Kristen O'Brien, Rachel Stauffer, Katie Waldo and Jeffrey Davis on Apr 24, 2024
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
During this election year, McDermottPlus is actively monitoring annual regulations that federal agencies are expected to release, as well as “ad hoc” regulations that will be released at the discretion of federal agencies. This chart displays health-related regulations that may be issued this year, organized by federal agency and date of potential release. Access the...
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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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What Does Landmark AI Executive Order Mean for Healthcare?
By Kristen O'Brien and Rachel Stauffer on Dec 6, 2023
Posted In Digital Health, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
On October 30, 2023, the Biden administration released a long-awaited Executive Order (EO) on the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.” The EO acknowledges the transformative potential of AI while highlighting many known risks of AI tools and systems. It directs a broad range of actions around new standards for AI...
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DEA Further Extends Flexibilities for Controlled-Substance Prescribing via Telemedicine
By Amanda Enyeart, Marshall E. Jackson, Jr., Lisa Schmitz Mazur, Dale C. Van Demark, Patrick Zanayed, Purnima Boominathan, Grayson I. Dimick, Jayda Greco and Rachel Stauffer on Oct 25, 2023
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
The US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have further extended flexibilities that allow providers to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine without first performing an in-person visit. The flexibilities were initially provided during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The extension runs through December 31, 2024. Read more here.
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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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