Insights

Washington – September 24, 2025: Crowell & Moring today announced the arrival of two seasoned attorneys, Rachel Park and Jill Abrams, to its nationally recognized Health Care Group. Both join Crowell after more than two decades at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where they served in various senior level positions across the department. The addition of Park and Abrams further strengthens the firm’s ability to advise sophisticated health care clients on complex regulatory, compliance, enforcement, and litigation matters. They join the firm as senior counsel in Washington, D.C.

On January 27, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Health Plan Management System (HPMS) memo that provided a long-awaited update on how the agency plans to approach previously announced Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) audits for Payment Years (PY) 2020-2024. The memo is the agency’s most comprehensive statement on the subject since September 25, 2025, when the Northern District of Texas vacated the 2023 RADV Final Rule. The memo makes clear that, while CMS has made certain operational adjustments in response to concerns expressed by Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs), the agency is largely pressing forward with the accelerated audit strategy announced in May 2025.

On January 26, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) circulated the Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Advance Notice to communicate proposed changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) capitation rates and Parts C and D payment policies.  The changes are expected to be finalized in April 2026 but may be delayed. The following is a summary of the most significant proposals, with further details below:

Since the signing of Executive Order 14187 (“Protecting Children from Chemical & Surgical Mutilation”) in late January 2025, the Trump Administration has made its skeptical stance on gender-affirming care—especially regarding services provided to minors—clear.