In this special holiday episode of HFMA's "Beyond the News," Nick Hut, Shawn Stack, and Katie Gilfillan discuss key healthcare policy trends and stories to watch in 2026. The conversation begins with the expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies and the potential consequences of their discontinuation, including rising uninsured rates. They then discuss the implementation of healthcare provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including the elimination of the temporary Medicaid expansion incentive and the rollout of the Rural Hospital Fund. The discussion shifts to Medicare payment policies, focusing on the move towards value-based care, mandatory downside risk for physicians, and CMS's focus on services that don't clearly demonstrate value, such as skin substitute payments. The podcast also touches on the integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare, particularly in prior authorization processes, and the potential impacts of the 340B rebate model. The episode concludes with a discussion of the administration's prevention agenda, including the ACCESS model for technology-supported chronic care, and the importance of hospital price transparency and the No Surprises Act.
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