Thorn Run Partners’ Senior Vice President Andrea Maresca was recently quoted in an article for Skilled Nursing News on the Trump administration’s proposed rule on Medicaid supplemental payment programs. The article highlights the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ shift to stricter reporting requirements and regulations for Medicaid supplemental payments, and Maresca offered insight on the significance of specific included policies. “The formal term definitions, and the fact that CMS is proposing such a time limit, are ‘a big deal,’ Andrea Maresca, senior vice president at the consulting firm Thorn Run Partners, told Skilled Nursing News.”  

In a recent article for Morning Consult, Thorn Run Partners’ Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy provided insight on the recent surprise billing push in Congress. McCarthy identified the need for offsetting costs of other health spending as motivation behind the recent push on surprise billing. He also pointed out that the timing on surprise billing legislation will be subject to an unpredictable appropriations process unfolding alongside the House’s impeachment inquiry. “Despite the fact that surprise billing is so controversial, it will be a tempting offset for lawmakers given the significant savings — likely enough to cover almost the entire cost of a health care extenders package,” said McCarthy.

In a recent article for Modern Healthcare, Thorn Run Partners’ Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy offered commentary on a top priority for health care industry groups: surprise billing. In an upcoming election year where health care is likely to play a leading role in campaign messaging,  McCarthy astutely noted that it will be vitally important for stakeholders position themselves on these issues in 2020 as both parties jostle for power. "While there aren't a significant amount of legislative vehicles for healthcare next year, 2020 will be essential in carving out the pathway for what either party is going to prioritize in the 117th Congress,” said McCarthy.

A recent article from Skilled Nursing News covered TRP’s Senior Vice President Andrea Maresca’s presentation on Medicaid issues at the American Health Care Association convention earlier this month. During the presentation, Maresca pointed out that the federal government is starting to take a closer look at supplemental programs that offset low reimbursement from Medicaid in skilled nursing facilities (SNF) – a concern that has come from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and several other governmental agencies. She astutely noted that these concerns are pushing the agency to develop regulations that boost transparency and provide clear rules of the road for the functionality of supplemental payment programs, saying that the agency can’t effectively evaluate SNFs under the current statutes. “All of this is driving work in the agency to come up with a regulation that will put more parameters about how supplemental payment programs would work in the future,” said Maresca. “The agency is also concerned about the lack of a clear link between how payments are made to providers, and whether these are made based on services delivered or somehow tied to quality and outcomes.”

In a recent article for Inside Health Policy, TRP’s Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy was quoted discussing the ideological split between lawmakers on fixes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As the article highlights the tensions over state reinsurance waivers, McCarthy noted that these these statewide debates are reflective of the “philosophical dissonance” between the Trump administration and Congressional Democrats on health care policy. “While Democrats have spent their energy talking about increasing coverage and consumer protections, CMS is hammering home a message about cost,” said McCarthy. “The debate over 1332 waivers may be reflective of this tension, but it’s also indicative of where they stand in the broader health policy discussion on everything from Medicare for All to reforming the Medicaid program.”

Thorn Run Partners’ Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy provided an overview of the Congress’s work to balance competing drug pricing priorities in a recent article for Inside Drug Pricing. As Congressional lawmakers walk this policy tightrope, McCarthy acutely pointed out that there’s an overarching desire among stakeholders to help consumers at the pharmacy counter while mitigating potential disruptions to research and development. “It makes sense that there appears to be growing interest in reforms that would remove some burden from patients without posing a threat to innovation,” McCarthy stated.   

In today’s Politico Morning Money newsletter — the leading Financial Services beat in Washington, D.C. — TRP’s Jason Rosenstock was mentioned discussing Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) rise in the race for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. First published in TRP’s weekly Financial Services Report, Rosenstock’s quote astutely compares the anti-Wall Street sentiments that form the backbone of Sen. Warren’s campaign to the populist wave that elected President Donald Trump in 2016. “The rise of Warren shouldn’t surprise people as she is simply feeding on the same emotions that Trump tapped into to win four years ago,” said Rosenstock. “Whereas he used fear of immigrants and global supply chains, Warren focuses on corporate executives and lobbyists, who she claims have rigged the system in their favor."

In a recent article for Inside Health Policy, Thorn Run Partners’ Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy offered his insight into how the 2020 Democratic candidates should approach health policy, one of the largest issues facing candidates in the upcoming presidential election. On the eve of the third Democratic debate, McCarthy noted, “Politically speaking, there is little incentive for the Democratic presidential candidates to be just another voice in the monotone chorus of opposition to the Trump administration.” While the article pointed out that candidates could benefit greatly from addressing how the administration is currently changing numerous aspects of the Affordable Care Act, McCarthy stated that “As the candidates continue to jostle for position, watch for them to focus more on drawing distinctions between each other on health policy than hurling arrows at President Trump – there will be plenty of time for that during the general election.”

TRP's Jason Rosenstock offered his insight on Congress' financial services agenda this fall in yesterday's "Finance 202" newsletter — a leading financial services beat by The Washington Post. The newsletter forecasts action on several key financial services deadlines that must be addressed this fall, namely funding the government for fiscal year (FY) 2020 and extensions for the Export-Import Bank and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Rosenstock astutely points out that while lawmakers tentatively agreed to avoid "poison pill" policy riders on certain spending bills, it remains to be seen if the current political climate stymies controversial issues. “Their agreement said no controversial riders, but that’s in the eye of the beholder," said Rosenstock. 

TRP’s Jason Rosenstock was recently quoted in an article for Vox that outlines how the new, more progressive, appointed members of the House Financial Services Committee may impact the agenda and tone of the Committee. While the attention has been primarily focused on new members of the committee such as Reps. Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), Katie Porter (D-CA), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rosenstock astutely questions whether these new lawmakers are willing to go up against  Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) — who has proven herself as a “real dealmaker." “Chair Waters is a skilled legislator, and I think this committee structure will allow her to harness those talents to try to guide the committee to find consensus,” said Rosenstock. “She’s a real dealmaker. She’s done it in the past with Republicans, and she may have to do it now internally a bit. The question is whether the newer members will be willing to sacrifice the perfect for the good.”