Summary
Congress is in full swing with two weeks to go before August recess. This week the Senate is expected to take up the National Defense Authorization Act, which will assuredly look very different from the controversial version the House debated last week. The House will be focusing on FAA reauthorization.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee may take up the PAHPA Reauthorization bill on Wednesday, after it narrowly passed out of the Health Subcommittee on party lines, though this could slip into next week. Democrats are upset the bill did not include drug shortage reforms. The Senate HELP Committee is scheduled to mark up their version of the PAHPA Reauthorization bill on Thursday.
Appropriations Markups continue this week as well. Last Friday the House Labor-HHS Subcommittee marked up their FY 2024 bill, which significantly cut funding for HHS agencies, including reducing CDC funding by $1.6 billion and NIH funding by $3.8 billion and eliminating funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and gun violence research and prevention. A plethora of controversial provisions focused on abortion, social spending, DEI initiatives, and Critical Race Theory were also included. Full Committee markup has not yet been scheduled but is expected to be done before the end of the month. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to mark up their Labor-HHS bill on July 27.
Hearings and Markups
- Senate HELP Committee– On Thursday, July 20, the Senate HELP Committee will mark up the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Response Act.
- Senate Finance Committee-On Thursday, July 20, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing titled “The Cost of Inaction and the Urgent Need to Reform the U.S. Transplant System.”
- House Energy and Commerce Committee– The Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, July 18 titled “Innovation Saves Lives: Evaluating Medicare Coverage Pathways for Innovative Drugs, Medical Devices, and Technology.”
Regulatory Update
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is fiscal year 2024 Medicare payment final rules, including updates for acute care hospitals, inpatient psychiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and hospice. Final action is not expected until November.
Additionally, OMB is reviewing the following:
- Minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities – Proposed rule would address staffing requirements at long-term care facilities, including nursing homes.
- Medicaid and CHIP – Final rule intended to streamline the eligibility and enrollment process for Medicaid and CHIP