On Wednesday, January 24th, a lawsuit was filed in the Federal District Court, District of Columbia, challenging the implementation by Kentucky of the nation’s first work requirement in a Medicaid program. The suit was filed by three organizations on behalf of 15 Kentucky citizens claiming to be at risk of losing their Medicaid coverage. They also requested to certify the suit as a class action.

In the following roundup, PCG health policy subject matter experts reflect upon major policy shifts and changes that have occurred in 2017, as well as preview policy developments expected in 2018. With major announcements that will affect 2018 just within the past couple of months, our subject matter experts have chosen a few key topics to reflect upon and provide insights into the potential future implications and policy directions.

Work on passage of a final tax bill continued at the time of publication this article, leaving uncertainty over its final fate, composition, and impact. In each of the versions originally passed by each house, however, there were provisions specific to health care. While those provisions are just small pieces of the overall tax bill, they would have significant and serious impacts on health care.

On October 25, 2017, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report on the Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017, which is now under consideration within the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.