The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, HR 7148 (the Act), just signed into law on February 3, 2026, ended a brief government shutdown and includes multiple provisions with a critical impact on health care organizations. We have previously covered the Act’s renewal and extension through 2027 of COVID-era Medicare telehealth flexibilities and its revisions to
Reimbursement
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026: Another Lifeline for Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities
By Danielle Tangorre, Conor Duffy & Guest Contributor on
This post was co-authored by Paul Palma, legal intern at Robinson+Cole. Paul is not admitted to practice law.
On February 3, 2026, President Trump signed HR 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (“the Act”) ending the 4-day partial government shutdown. The Act, part of a broader fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending package, includes a…
Song Remains the Same – Medicare Telehealth Services At Risk of Expiring Again on January 30, 2026
Healthcare providers are currently facing yet another termination of Medicare telehealth flexibilities at the end of the day on January 30, 2026, unless Congress acts on proposals to further extend the COVID-era flexibilities for telehealth. If no legislative action is taken before January 30, 2026, the providers and Medicare patients who have depended on expanded…
Massachusetts Governor Healey Announces New Department of Insurance Regulations Intended to Streamline Prior Authorization Practices
On January 14, 2026, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced that the Division of Insurance (DOI) will be promulgating updates to its regulations with the intent of streamlining prior authorization practices for health insurance claims. According to the Governor, the DOI regulations “will reduce unnecessary delays and cut administrative burdens to make it easier, cheaper and faster for people to get the medications and care…
Update on Processing of Telehealth Claims Impacted During the Government Shutdown
The recent government shutdown caused multiple Medicare statutory payment provisions to lapse on October 1, 2025, due to the absence of Congressional action. With the passage of the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026 (Pub. L. 119-37), (discussed here), Congress has retroactively restored many of these…
Telehealth Survives Again: What the Most Recent Flexibility Extension Means for Providers
By Danielle Tangorre, Conor Duffy & Guest Contributor on
This post is co-authored with Paul Palma, legal intern at Robinson+Cole. Paul is not admitted to practice law.
On November 12, 2025, President Trump signed H.R. 5371 the “Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs and Extensions Act, 2026” (the Act). The Act ended the federal government shutdown by providing necessary funding…
Telehealth Services on the Brink Again – Is a 7-Week Stopgap the Only Fix?
By Danielle Tangorre, Conor Duffy & Guest Contributor on
This post is co-authored with Paul Palma, legal intern at Robinson+Cole. Paul is not admitted to practice law.
Healthcare providers are again confronted with the potential termination of telehealth services unless Congress acts to extend the Medicare flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. If no legislative action is taken before September 30, 2025, those providers…
CMS Proposes Several Changes Affecting Telehealth Services in the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
By Danielle Tangorre, Conor Duffy & Guest Contributor on
This post is co-authored with Paul Palma, legal intern at Robinson+Cole. Paul is not admitted to practice law.
On July 14, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year (CY) 2026 physician fee schedule (PFS) proposed rule, which in pertinent part proposes several changes affecting the delivery and reimbursement…
CMS Issues Guidance and Requests Information to Promote Hospital Price Transparency Compliance and Enforcement Efforts
By Conor Duffy on
On May 22, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took a series of actions to promote enhanced price transparency compliance by hospitals and identify challenges thereto, in order to inform future price transparency enforcement activities and policies. These actions were taken in furtherance of the President’s February 2025 Executive Order No. 14221…
U.S. Supreme Court Denies DSH Hospitals’ Attempts to Seek Higher Medicare Payments
On April 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion upholding the formula the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) utilized to calculate Medicare hospitals’ disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment adjustments, denying a challenge brought by hospitals seeking higher DSH reimbursement. In Advocate Christ Medical Center v. Kennedy, No. 23-715 (S.