Summary
Congressional Update
Both the House and Senate are in session this week, though the House schedule is still up in the air following the continued stalemate between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a group of conservative Republicans. Last week the House Freedom Caucus ground Speaker McCarthy’s legislative agenda to a halt protesting the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the bipartisan deal Speaker McCarthy made with President Biden. Conservatives are also upset over the leadership’s handling of a bill to loosen a gun regulation. The Republican party remains far from united and Speaker McCarthy’s efforts to pass important pieces of legislation including the 12 annual appropriations bills and the Farm Bill won’t be an easy feat.
Alzheimer’s Disease, access to specialty care, rare disease research, and public health security will be the focus of three health-related hearings this week in the House Energy and Commerce and Senate HELP Committees. The full House Appropriations Committee is also expected to take up the several FY 2024 bills that passed through Subcommittee last month.
Hearings
House Energy & Commerce Committee: The Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold its second hearing to inform the reauthorization of programs and authorities originally established in the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) ahead of their September 30, 2023, expiration date. The first hearing focused on the Strategic National Stockpile and supply chain issues (Impact Health summary). Tomorrow, the Health Subcommittee will discuss 21 bills, including 10 bipartisan bills, to bolster preparedness and response for all hazards and public health security threats. The agenda features bills that address topics in the Health Subcommittee’s request for information issued in March – including, national strategy and coordination, emergency preparedness and response infrastructure and workforce, community engagement, medical countermeasures, and infection control and prevention (Impact Health summary).
On Thursday, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing examining 9 legislative proposals that focus on providing access to care for mothers, children, cancer patients and first responders, as well as support research for rare diseases. These will not all be bipartisan bills. The bill to reauthorize the Children’s Graduate Medical Education program contains a provision that prohibits funding to go to institutions that provide gender affirming care.
Senate HELP Committee: On Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing on several pieces of legislation, including the National Alzheimer’s Project Reauthorization bill and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act.
Regulatory Update
A request for information on an episode-based payment model recently arrived at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. OMB is also reviewing the following rules:
- Minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities – Proposed rule would address staffing requirements at long-term care facilities, including nursing homes.
- 340B Drug Pricing Program – Proposed rule regarding potential remedies for safety-net hospitals affecting cost years 2018-2022. In American Hospital Association v. Becerra, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of safety-net hospitals that challenged Medicare reimbursement cuts for prescription drugs provided in outpatient settings.
- Calendar year 2024 Medicare payment policies – specifically, proposed updates to the Physician Fee Schedule and payment and policy updates for hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, and end-stage renal disease facilities;
- TCET Pathway – Proposed rule that would establish criteria for an alternative coverage pathways to provide transitional coverage for emerging technologies (TCET) under Medicare; and
- Short-Term Plans – Proposed rule that would ensure short-term limited duration insurance includes protections for people with pre-existing conditions and other ACA protections.