Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Although the run-up to the holidays is a little more, um, eventful than many anticipated, we're not passing on a chance to hand out some carefully considered awards to mark the holiday season.
Biggest surprise: After talks fell apart in the March spending deal for substantive health riders, it was surprising that both sides were able to agree at the end of the year on a robust health care package that was released this week and included PBM and drug patent overhauls, while also extending programs like telehealth.
- Yet all those weeks of negotiations may have been for naught, with President-elect Trump blowing up the deal Wednesday and asking for a clean CR that also addresses the debt ceiling. We'll see if any health care extenders are able to ride along.
Best tweets (X's): House Appropriations Ranking Member and Labor-HHS subcommittee Chair Rosa DeLauro took the cake this year with her Gen-Z-esque video declaring herself the "Ranking Rizzler" and that the Appropriations Committee is "the bag."
Notable first-time bill markup: The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act was marked up and overwhelmingly approved in House Ways and Means in June for the first time after languishing for a decade-plus.
- The legislation is notable because it would allow Medicare to cover obesity drugs — though it may be less important if Trump keeps in place the recently issued rule from the Biden administration that would allow Medicare and Medicaid to cover obesity drugs.
Biggest tease: Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune told us multiple times this year that he hoped the Senate working group's 340B reform bill would be released soon, including during the week before August recess.
- But it got pulled then as we scooped, and we're still waiting to see the final bill. Our inboxes are open!
Best food item on the Hill: While Victoria was busy tracking down the latest on health policy, she needed to fuel up at cafeterias around the Hill, as she chronicled on X. The side gig was even profiled in Washingtonian.
- Last year's favorite food item was the Rayburn Reuben, but this year's award had to go to the Cups chicken Caesar wrap (of course, eaten outside an E&C hearing).
Biggest health care targets: PBMs have to take the prize as the biggest target of bipartisan scrutiny this year.
- If this week's health care package including PBM reforms doesn't make it across the finish line, look for efforts to revive it in March, when the next government funding deadline comes around.
Best hearing moment: Sen. Thom Tillis held up a copy of the book "Hacking for Dummies" during a May Senate Finance Committee hearing on the Change Healthcare cyberattack.
Best celebrity sighting: None other than Usher graced the halls of the Senate to talk with Sen. Raphael Warnock about diabetes screening. Check out this iconic photo in the Senate subway.
Oddest couple: Former HHS secretaries Kathleen Sebelius and Alex Azar appeared together at an event hosted by the Paragon Health Institute to push for site-neutral payments in Medicare.
Best quote: "I feel like the more I hear the less I understand," Rep. Jamie Raskin told PBM executives at a House Oversight Committee hearing in July.
