Summary
With both the House and Senate back in session this week, there is no shortage of to-do items. The must-pass continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government operating past September 30 is still under discussion, with action expected in the Senate next week, followed by the House. The likely end date for the CR is December 16, but at question is what kind of additional provisions could be attached to the measure.
President Biden has requested that emergency funding for COVID, monkeypox, and Ukraine assistance be attached (breakdown of funding request here), along with several other Health and Human Services programs (details here). He has also indicated support for including Medicare and Medicaid riders. Typically, CRs are relatively clean and only include provisions with broad bipartisan support. We don’t expect anything different this year. As Republicans are opposed to additional funding for testing and therapeutics, the most likely provision to be included on a CR is additional funding for the Ukraine, particularly given the recent advancements Ukrainian forces have made in the region. Any additional Medicare and Medicaid provisions are more likely to be included in a final end of the year package.
Cancer Moonshot
Today, President Biden will deliver a speech on the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative. The renewed effort aims to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer. In July, the President unveiled the Cancer Cabinet, a volunteer panel of experts who advise the President on how to use federal resources to advance the Cancer Moonshot initiative. The Cancer Cabinet’s priorities are (1) close the screening gap, (2) understand and address environmental exposure, (3) decrease the impact of preventable cancers, (4) bring cutting edge research through the pipeline to patients and communities, and (5) support patients and caregivers.
Hearings
On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will convene a hearing to examine the federal response to Monkeypox. As of September 9, there are 21,894 confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases and zero deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Department of Health and Human Services has allocated nearly 1.1 million vials of Bavarian Nordic’s JYNNEOS, an FDA-licensed vaccine indicated for prevention of smallpox and monkeypox, across the country. Nearly 773,000 vials free to jurisdictions have been shipped, as of September 7.
The witness panel features senior administration officials that appeared before the Senate HELP Committee to discuss the COVID-19 response, including CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. The senior officials are expected to reiterate the White House’s recent request for Congress to provide $3.9 billion for the monkeypox response in the FY 2023 continuing resolution. This includes:
- $1.6 billion to procure vaccines and therapeutics, expand domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity;
- $900 million to support public health activities, such as testing, vaccine administration, and surveillance and epidemiology;
- $1.2 billion to provide testing, treatment, and vaccination services, including through Ryan White clinics and community health centers; and
- $200 million for research and development.
The hearing is also an opportunity for the witnesses and members to discuss the COVID-19 response, including the Biden Administration’s new COVID-19 vaccine plan for the fall. This includes calling on Congress to provide $22.4 billion in additional funding to support vaccines, treatments, personal protective equipment for the Strategic National Stockpile, funding to cover the cost of administration of vaccines for the uninsured and underinsured, improved access to treatment for people with long COVID, and research and development.
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety will hold a hearing to discuss the role of immigrants in bolstering the health care workforce. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship convened a hearing on the same topic in February. The panel of witnesses included Dr. David Skorton, President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). AAMC recommended, “expanding the State Conrad 30 J-1 visa waiver program and enacting a permanent pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) participants.” Currently, doctors from other countries working the U.S. on J-1 visas are required to return to their home country after their residency has ended for two years before they can apply for another visa or green card. The Conrad 30 program allows doctors to stay in the United States without having to return home if they agree to practice an underserved area for three years. A total of 30 doctors per state can participate in the program.
On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on how to prepare the country’s health care infrastructure for the climate crisis. The discussion builds on Chairman Richard Neal’s (D-MA) previous work exploring the health care industry’s impact on the climate crisis. In March 2022, Chairman Neal requested information from 12 large health systems on:
- The extent to which the organization understands its impact on the climate crisis;
- The organization’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its workforce; and
- The steps the organization has taken to hold external partners (e.g., business partners, suppliers, or contractors) accountable for their respective carbon footprints.
MACPAC
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) returns for the 2022-2023 meeting cycle with sessions on a range of topics:
- Medicaid race and ethnicity data collection and reporting;
- Unwinding continuous coverage requirement;
- Payment within the context of Medicaid managed care, nursing facilities, disproportionate share hospital policies;
- Coverage of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease; and
- A recent proposed rule to establish requirements for mandatory annual state reporting on several measure sets for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries (WHG summary).