Congress enacts year-end bill that includes OMS issues

Congress passed – and President Joe Biden signed into law Dec. 29 – an omnibus package (HR 2617) that appropriates federal funding for the remainder of the 2023 Fiscal Year and contains several healthcare policy provisions. Of relevance to OMS, the bill prevents 6.5 percent of the nearly 8.5 percent payment cut Medicare providers were scheduled to incur starting Jan. 1 and includes several provisions to address drug and supply shortages that AAOMS advocated for during Day on the Hill the past two years. The new law also mandates controlled substance prescribers undergo a one-time federal continuing education requirement of eight hours upon initiation or renewal of their DEA license. The bill did not include the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, which would require health insurers to cover dental-related treatment for patients with congenital anomalies, despite efforts by AAOMS and its coalition partners to try to add the bill to the package. The coalition will meet in the next few weeks to determine next steps for the 118th Congress.