Summary
This week the House starts a two-week district work period while the Senate is in session one more week before the President’s Day recess. After a slow start to the year, the Senate will hold several policy focused hearings this week, including:
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will hold a hearing on Thursday to examine healthcare workforce shortages and next steps. Workforce shortages is a top priority for HELP Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Also on Thursday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing to titled “Bringing Transparency and Accountability to Pharmacy Benefit Managers.” The focus of this hearing will be on Committee Chair Maria Cantwell’s legislation “Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Transparency Act” (S.127) which is cosponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and will bring transparency into PBM business practices and prohibit unfair or deceptive conduct that drives up drug prices.
Finally, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry will hold a hearing on Thursday to discuss nutrition programs of the Farm Bill. Witnesses include Ms. Stacy Dean, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at USDA and Mrs. Cindy Long, Administrator.
Last week, the Wynne Health Group put out a comprehensive Committee Guide highlighting the new Committees and issues they are likely to take up in the 118th Congress.
Regulatory Update
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) may soon release a proposed rule intended to promote payment accuracy and efficiency in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. The proposal, which recently cleared review at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is also expected to include new disclosure requirements for Medicare skilled nursing facilities and Medicaid nursing facilities.