The Senate’s floor consideration on healthcare came to an abrupt end when three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and John McCain (R-AZ) — joined all 48 Democrats in opposing a vote to adopt a “skinny” Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bill. While many lawmakers responded with a renewed call for bipartisanship, key conservatives continue to seek... Read More
WHG - TRP Special Report: What Could Happen Next Week on ACA Repeal?
Following a week of high-level negotiations among GOP senators, Republican leadership is planning a vote onTuesday on a motion to proceed to the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). The process has been shrouded in confusion and uncertainty, as it remains unclear what bill Senate leaders ultimately hope to move forward. Knowing what the Republican health care bill will be... Read More
WHG - Side-by-Side Comparison of House-Passed AHCA and Senate Discussion Draft
TRP Health Policy has prepared a side-by-side comparison of the House-passed American Health Care Act and the Senate’s discussion draft, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The chart compares the two bills and illustrates where they align and diverge... Read More
WHG - Trump's Drug Pricing Executive Order May be 'Industry-Friendly'
The Trump administration is a considering issuing an executive order to address to rising costs of prescription drugs which is likely to be “industry-friendly,” as reported by Kaiser Health News (KHN) and Politico. Notably, the order will not allow the government to negotiate drug prices or allow importing of drugs from other countries, both solutions Trump proposed during his campaign... Read More
WHG - TRP Special Report: Senate Eyes Late-June Vote on AHCA
While significant uncertainty remains as to the Senate’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we’re learning more this week about Republican leadership’s anticipated plans for passage. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fast-tracked the House bill (H.R. 1628) today, placing it on the Senate calendar and allowing it, as had been expected, to skip over the committee... Read More
WHG - White House Unveils $4.1 Trillion Budget Proposal
The Trump Administration unveiled its $4.1 trillion budget for the 2018 fiscal year (FY), dubbed “A Foundation for American Greatness.” Though the Budget aims to balance the budget over the customary 10-year window, the Administration’s underlying economic grown assumptions have been questioned by critics. Increased investments in national defense and infrastructure, as well as enhanced border security and immigration policies, come... Read More
WHG - Senate GOP Considering Auto-Enrollment Policy in AHCA
Senate Republicans spent significant time last week discussing their plans to amend or rewrite the American Health Care Act (AHCA), and one emerging idea has shown some potential to take hold: automatically enrolling people in a basic health plan. The policy could vastly reduce the number individuals expected to lose coverage under the House-passed version of the bill (an estimated... Read More
WHG - TRP Health Policy: Mock Byrd Rule Review of the AHCA
TRP Health Policy has prepared a section-by-section chart that provides a brief synopsis of each provision of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and assesses their probability of surviving Byrd Rule review in the Senate. We indicate in green, yellow, or red the likelihood each section will satisfy the Byrd Rule’s criteria for budget reconciliation measures – and avoid being... Read More
WHG - TRP Special Report: What's Next on the AHCA?
Shortly after House passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), it quickly became clear that the Senate plans to chart their own path forward on healthcare reform – rather than moving to advance the version drafted in the lower chamber. “We’ll be informed by what the House did,” HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said. “But we’ll write a... Read More
WHG - Congressional Leaders Agree to $1.07 Trillion FY17 CR; Funding Boosts for NIH, Opioid Abuse
After weeks of negotiations, an agreement on funding the government for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 was struck last night. The $1.07 trillion continuing resolution (CR) does not provide funding for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border or eliminate money for Planned Parenthood or so-called sanctuary cities – issues that were previously key sticking points for... Read More
WHG - GOP Leaders Release Updated ACA Repeal Plan; Fate Still Uncertain
House Republican leaders released an updated plan to revive the American Health Care Act (AHCA) (H.R. 1628). As reported by Politico, the White House is optimistic that these latest changes to the stalled AHCA – put forward in the amendment by Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), co-chair of the moderate Tuesday Group – will serve as the impetus to secure the roughly 15-20 additional House Freedom Caucus... Read More
WHG - TRP Health Policy Issue Brief: Status Update on Drug Pricing and Transparency Legislation
TRP Health Policy has prepared an issue brief that provides background and a status update on drug pricing and transparency legislation. Topics include Medicare Part D price negotiation, drug importation, price transparency and PBM transparency, among others... Read More
WHG - Issue Brief: MedPAC's Part B Drug Pricing Proposals
TRP Health Policy has prepared an issue brief dedicated to MedPAC’s recent recommendations to revise Part B reimbursement. The recommendations were approved by the Commission during an April 6, 2017, meeting and will appear in MedPAC’s June 2017 report to Congress... Read More
WHG - Issue Brief on What's Next: Administrative Actions on ACA Following AHCA's Demise
TRP Health Policy has prepared an issue brief on “what’s next” in terms of the Trump Administration’s regulatory actions addressing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the wake of the American Health Care Act’s demise. The brief explores potential next steps for the Administration in addressing the ACA through its broad regulatory authority. This includes proactive issuance of notice-and-comment rulemaking and subregulatory... Read More
WHG - Issue Brief: Overview of Telemedicine Policy and Reimbursement
In light of recent federal developments on the telemedicine front – including provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act – TRP Health Policy explores the reimbursement and regulatory landscape for telemedicine services. We begin with a brief definition of telemedicine, in contrast to broader telehealth services (sec. II), before outlining how government and private payers reimburse providers for certain telemedicine services... Read More
WHG - Side By Side Comparison: Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) and Drug Value Program (DVP)
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is expected to vote later this week on a series of Medicare Part B reform recommendations. One component of these recommendations will be to implement a Drug Value Program (DVP), a market-oriented alternative to the current average sales price (ASP) system. Ahead of that session, we wanted to share a side-by-side comparison of key... Read More
WHG - State Innovation Waivers: The Next Avenue for Health Reform
TRP Health Policy has prepared an Issue Brief offering an overview of Section 1332 and 1115 State Innovation Waivers, both of which offer the opportunity for innovative health reforms on the state level – and are of expressed interest to entities on both sides of the aisle. The Trump Administration has indicated that it intends to vigorously leverage regulatory authority to... Read More
WHG - Outline of Likely 2017 CHIP & Medicare Extenders Package
As Congress moves on from the American Health Care Act, the next major health policy item on its agenda -- in addition to reauthorizing FDA user fees -- is reauthorization of CHIP funding and the Medicare extenders expected to travel with the CHIP package. TRP Health Policy has prepared a chart of provisions that will potentially be included in a CHIP and... Read More
WHG - Whip Count: Senate GOP Positions on AHCA
A thorough review of public statements and other materials reveals sharp divisions among Senate Republicans on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) – a plan being considered in the House to repeal and replace major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While passage in the House is still very uncertain, the wide divisions in the Senate are particularly notable,... Read More
WHG - Slide Deck on American Health Care Act
TRP Health Policy has prepared a slide deck providing an overview of the House ACA “repeal and replace” legislation. We hope this is a helpful encapsulation of the bill and the process ahead... Read More