Health Policy Signal Morning Brief: Monday, June 15, 2026

Top Line

• CMS prior authorization policy is the center of today’s health IT signal, with comments due today on interoperability standards and prior authorization for drugs across major public programs and federally facilitated exchange plans. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/14/2026-07205/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-interoperability-standards
• The Senate has put a Congressional Review Act resolution targeting CMS’s WISeR Model prior authorization rule on the legislative calendar. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/192
• The policy fight is now running on two tracks at once, agency implementation through comments and congressional disapproval through SJRES 192. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/192

Regulatory Action

Nothing significant today.

On the Hill

SJRES 192 was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders on June 9, 2026, as Calendar No. 431. The joint resolution would provide congressional disapproval of the CMS rule titled “Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model.” For physicians and health IT vendors, the resolution keeps prior authorization workflow policy in active congressional contention, not just agency implementation. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/192

No hearings are listed in today’s source material.

Comment Deadlines

2026-06-15: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs for Medicare Advantage Organizations, Medicaid Managed Care Plans, State Medicaid Agencies, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Agencies and CHIP Managed Care Entities, and Issuers of Qualified Health Plans on the Federally-Facilitated Exchanges (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/14/2026-07205/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-interoperability-standards)

What to Watch

Prior authorization is the through-line today. CMS, HHS, and the Office of the Secretary are collecting final comments on interoperability standards and prior authorization for drugs, while the Senate calendar now includes a disapproval resolution aimed at a separate CMS prior authorization rule.

For physicians, the immediate issue is whether prior authorization policy moves toward more standardized program-wide processes or remains exposed to congressional rollback. For vendors, today’s deadline matters because the comment record will shape expectations for interoperability standards tied to Medicare Advantage organizations, Medicaid managed care plans, state Medicaid agencies, CHIP agencies, CHIP managed care entities, and qualified health plans on the federally facilitated exchanges.