Summary
Big Picture. The House is in recess this week. The Senate is focused on advancing the nomination of Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence and reauthorizing FISA. Key health committees are teeing up legislation if an opportunity for a legislative vehicle emerges.
Health Policy to Watch
- The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will mark up eight bills on Wednesday, including two aimed at increasing access to generics and biosimilars and one on the drug application process. A pair of bills are related to transplants – reauthorization of bone marrow/umbilical cord blood transplant program and organ transplant discrimination prevent. The remaining bills are reauthorizations of Healthy Start, breast health education program, and research on therapies for ALS.
- Budget reconciliation 3.0 is a possibility, though there is more skepticism in the Senate. House Budget Committee Chairman Arrington is pushing for a package to fund defense and target fraud. The Heritage Foundation is also calling for 3.0 addressing fraud as well as affordability. A coalition of HSA companies are also pushing for expanded availability of the tax-advantaged accounts.
- John Joyce (R-PA), Greg Murphy (R-NC) and Kim Schrier (D-WA) plan to formally introduce their bipartisan Medicare physician reform legislation by the end of the month. In the meantime, the Doc Caucus continues to welcome feedback on their discussion draft.