Trending News Today: States Can Test Medicaid Work Requirements, CMS Says

GOP leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are planning to make significant changes to the 340B drug discount program, which could come as soon as the spring, according to STAT. Narrowing participation would likely be seen as beneficial for drug manufacturers who have called for reforms to the program, according to the article. Additionally, the committee also must determine whether it will reinstate the $1.6 billion in funding cuts that were implemented on January 1, 2018. Top hospital groups countered that significant cuts to 340B would threaten prescription drug access for vulnerable patients.

Early this morning, the Trump administration announced plans to allow states to test work requirements for Medicaid qualification, according to Kaiser Health News. The proposal was included in a memo that instructs states on how they can overhaul Medicaid. The document includes guidelines regarding who should be excluded from the work requirement and alternatives to employment that can count as work, including job training, volunteering, or caring for a family member, according to the article.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a major legislative priority during President Donald Trump’s first year in office. A newly revealed document suggests that the GOP had plans to repeal the health law through legislative and executive authority regardless of whether Congress was successful, Politico reported. The blueprint of the repeal built off of executive orders that demonstrated how complex the administration’s plans were to undo the ACA, according to the article.