There will be little rest for the weary this week in Washington as lawmakers will follow last week’s hard-fought negotiations on a massive budget caps deal with an immigration debate in the Senate and the release of the White House’s 2019 fiscal year budget and long-awaited infrastructure plan.
Month: February 2018
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review
A landmark week in Washington was punctuated by the passage of a massive bipartisan budget deal that funds the government until March 23, suspends the debt ceiling until 2019, raises strict budget caps by almost $300 billion over two years, and offers billions in funding for health care, defense, disaster relief, infrastructure, child care, and education. The deal will serve to break a months-long stalemate over budgeting that has plagued the appropriations process, and could result in an omnibus finally being passed in March.
White House Economic Advisers Release Drug Pricing Proposals
The White House Council of Economic Advisers has released a white paper addressing prescription drug prices, detailing the administration’s plans to “reduce the price Americans pay for biopharmaceutical products” and “rais[e] innovation incentives for products in the future.” The 30-page proposal has significant implications for stakeholder across the health care spectrum, as it offers wide-ranging policy changes impacting Medicare drug reimbursement (both Part B and D), Medicaid drug rebates, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), biosimilar competition, the 340B program, and more.
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Today on the Hill: Decision Day on Landmark Budget Deal
The Senate is expected to vote early this afternoon on a massive bipartisan budget deal that would avert a government shutdown, suspend the debt ceiling, raise strict budget caps, and offer billions in funding for health care, disaster relief, infrastructure, child care, and education. The text of the deal hatched by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was released last night, outlining a $300 billion spending package that would break a months-long stalemate that has plagued the appropriations process. If approved, the deal could result in an omnibus finally being passed in March.
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This Week on the Hill: House CR Vote Due Tomorrow in Bid to Avoid Shutdown
Lawmakers returning from legislative retreats and Super Bowl parties will need to re-focus quickly with another government funding deadline looming on Thursday. A continuing resolution (CR) punting the deadline another few weeks is once again the expected solution, with the House currently planning to vote tomorrow on a stopgap patch that would keep the government running through Mar. 22 — beyond key deadlines on the deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) program (Mar. 5) and debt ceiling (mid-March). Some conservatives have balked at the repeated use of CRs to maintain government operations, but Republican leaders are banking on their votes to approve tomorrow’s bill given that House Democrats will likely continue their opposition over a lack of a deal to protect individuals covered by DACA.
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Health Policy Report
The Week in Review
President Trump’s first State of the Union address on Tuesday was the main highlight from the week as the President offered a defense of his first year in office and a glimpse of the White House’s priorities for 2018. Specifically, the President took a victory lap on the Republican-led tax reform package and recent economic growth, asked for more money for the military, and after spending a great deal of time disparaging “open borders” and MS-13 gangs, pitched his immigration plan for Dreamers as a “fair compromise” — causing audible laughter from Democrats in the chamber. The reaction from Democrats signals that despite the White House’s messaging that described the State of the Union as a call for bipartisanship and cooperation, it leaves Congress little closer to any sort of deal that has jeopardized government funding over the past few weeks.