This week (October 13 - October 17)

The Senate is scheduled to return on Tuesday, October 14, while the House is expected to remain out of session.

Last week (October 6 - October 10)

Congressional Highlights

Week two of government shutdown. The Senate adjourned this week without reaching a deal to reopen the federal government. On Thursday (October 9), the Senate voted for the seventh time on the House-passed Republican continuing resolution (CR) (H.R. 5371) to patch funding until November 21, which failed 54-45 (with 60 votes required). The chamber next convenes at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14. House Republicans are expected to remain out of session next week and may stay away from Washington until the Senate is able to pass legislation to reopen all or part of the government. No meaningful progress has been made on discussions, which continued informally at the member level: Democrats want to negotiate the details of extending the ACA’s enhanced subsidies and a commitment that a bill would pass both chambers. However, Republicans remain firm that discussions will not take place until the government reopens.

On Friday (October 10), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) appeared skeptical such a bill could pass the House, saying "it will take a lot of work to build consensus" on any bipartisan bill to address the expiring subsidies, "if there is even any version of a reform that could find consensus and pass." The longer the shutdown remains, the more impactful as agencies may run out of funding to keep remaining programs operating.

On Friday (October 10), House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz urging them to use their existing authority to ensure Medicare beneficiaries retain access to telehealth services during the government shutdown. The members asked CMS to extend the current 10-day hold for telehealth claims and remind providers they have 12 months to submit Medicare claims after a service is furnished.

HHS workers receive shutdown RIFs. On Friday (October 10), HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told multiple news outlets that employees across “multiple divisions” who were designated as non-essential received reduction-in-force (RIF) notices. About 40% of HHS staff have been furloughed since the government shutdown began, but Nixon declined to say how many employees received the RIFs.

Senate passes Biosecure Act. On Thursday (October 9), the Senate voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included the Biosecure Act (S.Amdt.3841), aimed at restricting U.S. government contracts with biotechnology companies of concern. The latest version of the Biosecure Act removes the named entities and instead relies on the U.S. Department of Defense’s annual 1260H List to designate who qualifies as a “biotechnology company of concern.” To be enacted the bill still needs to pass the House, which did not include the Biosecure Act in its version of the NDAA. Lawmakers will need to reconcile their two versions in the coming weeks and determine whether they will include the Biosecure Act in a final bill.

Senate confirms HHS nominees. On Tuesday (October 7), the Senate voted along party lines to confirm 107 of President Trump’s nominees, including several HHS nominees: Brian Christine for assistant secretary for health, Michael Stuart for general counsel, Gustav Chiarello as assistant secretary for financial resources, and Alex Adams assistant secretary for family support.

Administrative Highlights

CMS unveils MA Star Ratings. On Thursday (October 9), CMS published the 2026 Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plans. The latest data show 34 MA plans received 5 stars, up from seven in 2025, while five plans received the lowest rating of two stars, compared with one plan in 2025.

CDC adopts ACIP vaccine changes. On Monday (October 6), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIPs) recommended changes to the COVID-19 vaccine and the MMRV vaccine. CDC now recommends individuals 6 months and older confer with a doctor before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and “shared clinical decision-making” for adults 65 and older. In addition, the CDC adopted ACIP’s recommendation to provide separate MMR and varicella vaccines for the first dose in children ages 12-47 months.

On Wednesday (October 8), ACIP posted a document indicating its plans to review the safety and efficacy of the childhood vaccine schedule, including the timing and order of vaccines. The document states that a workgroup will examine the schedule as part of a “multi-year” effort.

Novo Nordisk loses drug price negotiation lawsuit. On Monday (October 6), a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that rejected Novo Nordisk’s lawsuit challenging the Medicare Drug price negotiation program. In suit, Novo Nordisk challenged the Biden Administration’s decision to count six Novo Nordisk insulin products as one for the program because they contain the same active ingredient. The case is the latest in more than a dozen lawsuits that have ruled in favor of the program and against challengers.

Executive Highlights

Trump Administration and AstraZeneca reach MFN deal. On Friday (October 10), President Trump announced that the Administration reached a “Most Favored Nations” (MFN) deal with AstraZeneca. The deal was announced in a press conference with AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot, HHS Secretary Kennedy, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, FDA Administrator Marty Makary, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. The deal focused on the same pillars named in the Pfizer deal announced last week:

• Direct access for patients. Under the deal, all primary care medications sold by AstraZeneca will be available on TrumpRX starting early next year, as well as drugs for lung diseases. The fact sheet stated:
• BEVESPI AEROSPHERE, an inhaler used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), will be made available to patients purchasing directly at a discount equal to 654% of the deal price.
• BREZTRI AEROSPHERE, an inhaler used to treat COPD, will be made available to patients purchasing directly at a discount equal to 98% of the deal price.
• AIRSUPRA, an inhaler used to treat asthma symptoms and attacks, will be made available to patients purchasing directly at a discount equal to 96% of the deal price.
• MFN pricing for Medicaid. President Trump said, “AstraZeneca is committing to offer all of their prescription medications to Medicaid at Most Favored Nations prices.”
• Future proofing fairness. President Trump said, “All medications AstraZeneca introduces to the American market going forward, will also be sold at these heavily discounted rates.”

• Onshoring: President Trump said, “AstraZeneca will invest $50 billion in the United States over the next five years for research and development of new drugs and to onshore manufacturing facilities across the country.” In exchange, The Trump Administration granted AstraZeneca a three-year exemption from proposed import tariffs, contingent on fulfilling those commitments.

Trump Administration plans to exclude generic drugs from tariffs. This week, the Trump administration indicated it isn’t planning to impose tariffs on generic drugs imported from foreign countries, after months of wrangling over whether to impose levies on the vast majority of drugs that are dispensed in the U.S. “The administration is not actively discussing imposing Section 232 tariffs against generic pharmaceuticals,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. A spokesman for the Commerce Department, which is handling the tariff investigation, similarly said that the 232 investigation wouldn’t result in tariffs on generics. The move, which isn’t final and could change in the coming weeks, comes after months of debate within the administration over how to bring manufacturing of generic drugs back to the U.S. and what role tariffs should play in that effort. 

These developments followed some increased engagement from Capitol Hill on the scope of the tariffs, including conservative hardliners encouraging the Administration to include generic drugs in any significant tariff hikes targeting pharmaceuticals. Specifically, Sen. Rick Scott recently sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging the outcome of the 232 investigation include generics.

Reports, Studies, and Journals

• HHS Office of Inspector General: Medicare Could Have Saved $301.5 Million if Bundled Payment Rates for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Services Had Reflected Services Provided to Enrollees. The report offers CMS three recommendations to improve bundled payments for opioid use disorder treatment services, including that CMS consider revising its methodology for determining the nondrug component of Medicare weekly bundled payment rates.
• HHS Office of Inspector General: Many Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care Plans Have Limited Behavioral Health Provider Networks and Inactive Providers. The report offered three recommendations to improve accuracy of behavioral health provider network directories in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans, including that CMS consider creating a nationwide directory.