We hosted our Washington Comes to Wall Street healthcare policy event on February 28th, with participation from Matt Eyles, President & CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Chip Kahn, President & CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), and Ethan Siegal, Founder and Analyst, The Washington Exchange, as well as a series of key Congressional staff. Build Back Better (but not exactly) Still the Primary Focus Point: One of the major takeaways from our sessions today was that a smaller version ($1.0-1.5 trillion) of the Build Back Better reconciliation still has a chance of being passed this summer (its name will be changed). To that end, there was a view that for a majority of the healthcare related items, there did not seem to be alternative legislation that is likely to contain many of these provisions this year. While it was noted that there could be other standalone legislation or something attached to the omnibus bill (expected in March), the majority of healthcare items are largely tied to a slimmed down BBB with somewhat low probability that most would make it into any other legislation. Telehealth/behavioral health areas where there is bipartisan support: One of the overarching themes from the day was that telehealth and behavioral health are two areas where there is potential for bipartisan compromise. Both parties are looking to make permanent the telehealth rules that came into effect during the PHE given the improved access points and noted that the permanent telehealth rules are significantly outdated. This would include the possibility of maintaining the current reimbursement levels. There was also a focus from both parties on improving access to mental/behavioral health in conjunction with telehealth. Staffers highlighted that behavioral is an important issue with committees looking at integrating this with primary care and looking to improve reimbursement. That said, there are challenges. AHIP noted there isn't a silver bullet for behavioral health as there are various issues related to access, stigma, and payment parity. Further there are challenges on the patient side which also create barriers. All said, behavioral and telehealth are areas where there could be compromise.