The Big Picture Until late December, few if any Medicare policy changes were anticipated as part of a year-end healthcare package, barring extensions of funding for programs that otherwise would have expired. But after several days of closed-door negotiations, congressional leaders unveiled—and very shortly thereafter Congress passed—a legislative package containing an amalgam of Medicare policy changes. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act) includes significant payment adjustments, rural health improvements, transparency requirements for certain manufacturers of drugs cover...