Dr. Mehmet Oz

Stories

CMS and FDA launch RAPID pathway for breakthrough device coverage

Co-announcing RAPID pathway

For nearly a decade, medical device makers have faced the same bottleneck: the FDA clears a breakthrough device, and then Medicare spends another year or more deciding whether to pay for it. On April 23, 2026, the two agencies jointly announced the Regulatory Alignment for Predictable and Immediate Device (RAPID) pathway — it cuts that timeline to as little as two months. They simultaneously paused the existing Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies (TCET) program for new applicants, consolidating all breakthrough-device coverage work under RAPID.

Updated May 31

Trump orders a fast-track marijuana reschedule to Schedule III—reviving a stalled Biden-era process

Rule Changes

Announced Medicare-related CBD access pilot tied to the executive order

Trump's executive order instructing DOJ to fast-track marijuana's move to Schedule III immediately triggered a familiar split. Public health and industry groups cheered the potential research and tax impacts, while House Republicans organized opposition, urging Trump to keep marijuana in Schedule I.

Updated May 15