Summary
The Senate is on recess this week, but Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has notified all Senators that they could be called back “within 24-hours” notice if a deal is made on lifting the debt limit. Though the Senate will take up such a measure only after it passes the House. Negotiations continued through the weekend between President Biden’s appointed representatives White House adviser Steve Ricchetti and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and House Speaker McCarthy’s chosen delegate Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA). President Biden and Speaker McCarthy are scheduled to meet this afternoon. There are 10 days left before the government is expected to run out of funding.
Last week four of the House Appropriations Subcommittee marked up their FY 2024 appropriations bills, including the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, Homeland Security and Legislative Subcommittees. The Homeland Security Subcommittee provided a $2 billion increase to their bill (largely for a wall on the southern border), and the Military Con-VA Subcommittee provided full funding for the President’s budget request. The largest of the bills, the Department of Defense and the Labor, HHS, and Education bills have yet to be marked up. How House Republicans will manage to cute roughly $130 billion of federal funding in FY 2024 is yet to be determined, particularly since they have promised to largely spare the Pentagon from any cuts. Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced this week their intention to mark up bipartisan appropriations bills in June.
The House is scheduled to be on recess next week, though that may change depending on the status of debt limit discussions.
Congressional Hearings
On Tuesday, May 23, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability will hold a hearing to examine Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ (PBMs) tactics at multiple levels of the payment and supply chains. Details.
COVID-19 Immunizations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. The changes allow for an additional bivalent dose for adults ages 65 and older and for people who are immunocompromised. CDC now only recommends the updated bivalent vaccines regardless of any previous doses but does not recommend any additional doses for healthy individuals under age 65 at this time.
Regulatory Update
The Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a number of rules.
- 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;
- 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; and
- COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement – Final rule on COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff at Medicare- and Medicaid- participating providers and suppliers.