On June 12, 2019, three Congressional committees have scheduled hearings on health care policy topics: The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing entitled “Pathways to Universal Health Coverage.” The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled “No More Surprises: Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills.” The Senate Judiciary … Continue Reading
The House of Representatives has approved H.R. 987, the “Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act,” which packages seven prescription drug and insurance-related bills recently approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The legislation is intended to: increase generic drug competition; fund Affordable Care Act “Navigator” outreach and enrollment programs and state-based … Continue Reading
In a rare display of unity, President Donald Trump and bipartisan Congressional leaders have highlighted their shared commitment to tackling “surprise” medical billing – when an insured patient is subject to unexpectedly high out-of-pocket costs for out-of-network care that is beyond their control. Such surprise billing can occur when a patient receives emergency care from … Continue Reading
Representatives Jackie Speier (D-California) and Dina Titus (D-Nevada) have introduced HR 2143, the Promoting Integrity in Medicare Act of 2019 (PIMA), which – if enacted – would narrow the “Stark” law’s exceptions and have a direct impact on the services provided by physicians who self-refer for the performance of certain designated health services. The 2019 … Continue Reading
Recent Congressional hearings and markups have concentrated on prescription drug pricing, insurance access, and other health topics. For instance, last week the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved H.R. 2113, the Prescription Drug Sunshine, Transparency, Accountability and Reporting Act of 2019 (STAR Act). The legislation would, among other things: Require drug manufacturers to report their … Continue Reading
The House and Senate have both approved H.R. 1839, the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019, clearing it for President Trump’s signature. Notably, the legislation would: subject drug manufacturers to a new civil monetary penalty (CMP) for knowingly misclassifying or misreporting covered outpatient drugs under a Medicaid drug rebate agreement (such as by … Continue Reading
The Senate Finance Committee recently called for federal agencies to begin investigating physician owned distributors’ (PODs) alleged noncompliance with the U.S. Physician Payment Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act, or Open Payments). The letter is addressed to the head of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services … Continue Reading
As we have previously reported, prescription drug pricing is an early focus for Congressional hearings this year. This week the Senate Finance Committee held its second hearing on drug pricing, and the following hearings are on the schedule next week: On March 7, 2019, the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee is holding a hearing entitled … Continue Reading
Federal health policy is an early focus for Congressional committees. In addition to several hearings held in January, Congressional hearings in February have concentrated on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and primary care, including the following: A House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Texas v. United States court case challenging the constitutionality of … Continue Reading
As the new 116th Congress gets underway, four House and Senate committees are holding hearings to examine health policy issues, including two hearings focusing on prescription drug prices. Specifically, the following hearings are all scheduled for January 29, 2019: A Senate Finance Committee hearing on “Drug Pricing in America: A Prescription for Change, Part I,” … Continue Reading
President Trump has just signed into law HR 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. The bipartisan legislation includes almost 200 provisions intended to strengthen opioid prevention and treatment efforts and bolster law enforcement tools. Among many other things, the new law: Seeks to encourage … Continue Reading
The House of Representatives approved two “gag clause” bills on September 25, 2018 that would prevent insurers from restricting pharmacies from informing consumers about lower cost, out-of-pocket prices for their prescriptions. The bills were approved by the Senate earlier this month, and are now cleared for the President’s signature. Specifically, S 2553, the Know the … Continue Reading
Congressional panels continue to focus on federal health care policy topics, including cost, quality, and program integrity issues. Recent hearings have included the following: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held hearings entitled “Reducing Health Care Costs: Examining How Transparency Can Lower Spending and Empower Patients”; “Prioritizing Cures: Science and Stewardship at … Continue Reading
The House of Representatives has voted 283 – 132 to approve legislation (HR 184) that would permanently repeal the Affordable Care Act’s 2.3% excise tax on the sale of certain medical devices. While a government funding bill approved by Congress in February 2018 blocked imposition of the tax in 2018 and 2019, permanent repeal has … Continue Reading
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled three hearings this week on health topics: A July 24 hearing on advertising and marketing practices within the substance use treatment industry; A July 25 hearing on FDA and NIH implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act; and A July 26 hearing on the Medicare Merit-based Incentive … Continue Reading
The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee has scheduled a July 17, 2018 hearing on “Modernizing Stark Law to Ensure the Successful Transition from Volume to Value in the Medicare Program.” In announcing the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam stated that “the lack of Stark modernization is a clear barrier to reforms that reward better … Continue Reading
Congressional committees have held numerous hearings and markups in recent weeks on health policy topics, including several hearings focused on health care costs. Highlights include the following: … Continue Reading
The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation, HR 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, intended to bolster opioid prevention and treatment programs and strengthen law enforcement efforts. Among many other things, the wide-ranging legislation would:… Continue Reading
In addition to the numerous hearings and markups on the opioid crisis discussed in a separate post, Congressional committees are examining the following health policy topics: The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing to review HHS Office of Inspector General and Government Accountability Office oversight reports regarding the 340B … Continue Reading
Congress is considering a wide range of legislative proposals that seek to address the continuing opioid crisis. The following committees have tackled this topic recently: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) approved S. 2680, the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, comprised of 40 proposals to address the opioid crisis through such … Continue Reading
As we reported on April 20, 2018, the Senate recently approved a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) invalidating a five-year-old guidance document issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It marked the first time in which a House of Congress invoked the CRA to invalidate something other than a formal … Continue Reading
Congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care legislation continue to focus on the opioid crisis: The Energy and Commerce held a hearing on “Combating the Opioid Crisis: Improving the Ability of Medicare and Medicaid to Provide Care for Patients” and a roundtable discussion on “Personal Stories from the Opioid Crisis.” The House Oversight Healthcare Subcommittee … Continue Reading
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) was long viewed as something of a paper tiger, and for good reason. The CRA requires agencies to submit certain rules to Congress before they go into effect. The CRA also creates a streamlined process for Congress to rescind such rules through the passage of a “joint resolution of disapproval” … Continue Reading
The opioid crisis continues to be a focus for Congressional committees. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings on prevention and public health solutions to the opioid crisis, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s role in combating the opioid epidemic. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing focusing on … Continue Reading
