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
A number of recent Congressional hearings focused on federal health policies, including the following: House Energy and Commerce Committee hearings on the impact of health care consolidation, oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services (including the Trump Administration’s HHS budget request), and drug compounding. Ways and Means Committee hearings on President Trump’s HHS … Continue Reading
The new Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (the Act), recently signed into law by President Trump, includes extensive Medicare, Medicaid, and other health policy and payment provisions. Policy changes that will be welcome to health care providers and manufacturers include: repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB); elimination of the Medicare outpatient therapy caps; … Continue Reading
In addition to keeping the federal government operating through February 8, 2018, the newly-enacted Continuing Appropriations Act provides temporary relief from three health-related taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and funds the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through fiscal year 2023. With regard to the ACA taxes, the Continuing Appropriations Act: Imposes a … Continue Reading
The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee voted to approve the following health policy bills on January 18, 2017: H.R. 2026, the Pharmaceutical Information Exchange (PIE) Act. This bill would create a safe harbor that would allow drug and medical device companies to share certain health care economic or scientific information with payers, formularies, and … Continue Reading
On January 17, 2018, the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance the nomination of Alex Azar to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by a vote of 15-12. The nomination now moves to the full Senate.… Continue Reading
A number of recent Congressional hearings focused on the opioid crisis, including the following: A House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee hearing on the current landscape of the crisis and CMS efforts to prevent opioid misuse. A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing examining the ways Medicaid may have unexpectedly contributed to development … Continue Reading
While previous broad Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have failed, the GOP tax bill cleared by Congress today has succeeded in effectively repealing the ACA’s individual health insurance mandate. By way of background, the ACA established a penalty for failure to maintain health insurance coverage that provides at least minimum essential … Continue Reading
This month, Congressional committees held a number of hearings that focused on health policy issues, including the following: House Energy & Commerce Committee hearings on the drug supply chain and patient brokering/addiction treatment fraud. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearings on the cost of prescription drugs and implementation of the 21st Century … Continue Reading
A number of Congressional panels have scheduled or held recent hearings on health policy issues, including the following: On November 30, 2017, the House Energy & Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act), featuring testimony by National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, M.D. and Food … Continue Reading
The House of Representatives has voted 307 – 111 to approve HR 849, Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act, to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Under the ACA, the IPAB must submit Medicare spending plans to Congress if projected spending growth exceeds specified targets. IPAB proposals go into effect automatically unless Congress enacts … Continue Reading
President Trump has signed into law S 920, the National Clinical Care Commission Act, which establishes a national clinical care commission to improve coordination of federal programs that support care for people with complex metabolic syndromes and related autoimmune disorders. In addition, President Trump signed HR 304, Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of … Continue Reading
