Health Policy Report (2/13)

The Week in Review Two major legislative packages that were negotiated for months made their way through the Senate last week, one being the conference report to the bipartisan highway funding bill (H.R. 22) and the other being the highly partisan budget reconciliation measure (H.R. 3762) that would defund Planned Parenthood and dismantle the Affordable […]

The Week in Review  The House and Senate were on recess last week in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Both chambers are scheduled to return to Washington tomorrow. 

The Week in Review After the shocking terrorist attacks in Paris, political discourse in Washington centered on crafting an appropriate response and whether any policy changes should be made regarding the Syrian refugees already set to come to the United States. Many Republicans, joined by some Democrats, expressed fear that members of the Islamic State […]

The Week in Review  While the House enjoyed a week-long recess, the Senate was in session for Monday and Tuesday before heading home early after passing a pair of defense bills and naming highway bill conferees. On Tuesday, the Senate overwhelmingly approved (91-3) a revised defense authorization bill (S. 1356), clearing it for President Barack […]

The Week in Review  Speaker Paul Ryan’s first full week on the job was a successful one as the House successfully advanced a highway funding measure (H.R. 22) that would renew highway and surface transportation programs for six years – paying for three years and leaving Congress to find funding for the second three years […]

The Week in Review   A busy week in Washington was highlighted by the changing of the guard in the top post of the House. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) was elected to replace John Boehner (R-OH) by the Republican Conference on Wednesday and secured the House floor’s approval on Thursday, with just 9 Republicans voting […]

The Week in Review  Legislative action last week was highlighted by ongoing deliberation on how to raise the nation’s debt limit by a November 3 deadline – the date the Treasury Department has determined the country’s borrowing capacity will be exceeded. House Republicans have been deliberating on a solution and considered a proposal last week […]

This post, penned by Thorn Run's Billy Wynne, originally appeared in Health Affairs Blog. In a previous post—now almost one and a half years ago—I described “the coming storm” I anticipated would develop around the 340B drug discount program. After a brief tornado hit the House Energy and Commerce Committee when they considered including 340B reforms in […]

The Week in Review   The House and Senate were in a week-long recess for the Columbus Day holiday last week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has scheduled the Senate to return this afternoon at 4:00 PM and the House is set to return tomorrow morning.

The Week in Review  Legislative action in Congress last week was overshadowed by the surprising announcement from Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) that he would no longer seek to be Speaker of the House John Boehner’s (R-OH) successor. While McCarthy’s decision caught most observers by surprise, it can be, at least partially, explained by to […]

The Week in Review The showdown over government funding fizzled last week as Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) decision to step down cleared the way for a continuing resolution (CR) to pass through Congress and extend government funding through December 11, 2015. A “clean” CR—one devoid of a provision defunding Planned Parenthood—passed the Senate last Tuesday […]

The Week in Review   Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) shocking announcement on Friday that he will step down at the end of October capped off an incredible week in Washington that also witnessed the excitement of a papal visit and a state visit from the Chinese President, Xi Jinping. Pope Francis’ visit to Washington was […]