{"id":2110,"date":"2022-05-09T16:21:49","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T16:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thornrun.com\/health-policy-report-201\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T21:25:43","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:25:43","slug":"health-policy-report-201","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thornrun.com\/health-policy-report-201\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Policy Report (5\/9)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Capitol Hill Update<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both chambers of Congress will resume legislative business this week as leadership looks to break the logjam on a pair of supplemental appropriations requests. While lawmakers have a bipartisan agreement to move as much as $33 billion for Ukrainian military and humanitarian assistance, Democrats and Republicans are still searching for common ground on the $10 billion Bipartisan COVID Supplemental Appropriations Act. Senate Republicans have remained steadfast in their position that the two requests should be addressed separately as opposed to combining the two within the same package \u2014 the preferred strategy of Democratic leadership. The two sides will also need to navigate disagreements pertaining to the Biden administration’s rollback of the Title 42 public health directive at the U.S.-Mexico border before the pandemic relief funding can pass the 50-50 Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Senate\nwill reconvene this afternoon to begin consideration of legislation that\nwould codify Roe v. Wade <\/em>abortion protections following the\nleaked U.S. Supreme Court decision which suggests that the high court is poised\nto throw out the decades-old precedent. The Women’s Health Protection Act (S. 1975<\/a>) \u2014 which would\nprohibit governmental restrictions on the provision of, and access to, abortion\nservices \u2014 is not expected to advance in the evenly-split upper chamber due to\nopposition on both sides of the aisle. Meanwhile, House lawmakers will return\non Tuesday and are set to consider legislation that would: (1) reauthorize and\nmodernize the Community Services Block Grant program (H.R. 5129<\/a>); (2) provide\nfederal workers’ compensation to firefighters who contract certain illnesses as\na result of their service (H.R. 2499<\/a>); and (3)\nmodify the workplace rights, protections, and benefits applicable to\nTransportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel (H.R. 903<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate Commerce\nDeliberates Drug Pricing Transparency, PBMs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, the\nSenate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer\nProtection, Product Safety, and Data Security convened ahearing<\/a> (TRP summary<\/a>) to discuss\ntransparency in prescription drug markets. Specifically, the hearing focused on\nthe role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and their impact on the cost of\ndrugs. The Subcommittee heard from industry stakeholders and experts on\npharmaceutical competition and pricing. Senators asked the panel about several\ntopics, all of which traced back to bipartisan calls for more transparency over\nPBM practices. Specifically, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioned\nwitnesses about potential anticompetitive practices implemented by PBMs and the\nrole that PBMs play in out-of-pocket (OOP) drug costs compared to other actors\nin the drug pricing supply chain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats engaged in\ndiscussions about rebates and spread pricing, and while a couple of witnesses\nexpressed certainty of their criticism of PBMs, others felt that more insight\ninto the supply chain would be necessary before they could provide definitive\nresponses. Overall, lawmakers on both sides shared critical views of the role\nplayed by PBMs. However, Democrats were more focused on implementing the\nFederal Trade Commission\u2019s (FTC) authority to address PBM concerns and punish\nbad actors, while Republicans were more supportive of improving transparency\ninto the drug pricing supply chain before altering FTC authority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Energy and\nCommerce Committee Introduces Bipartisan Mental Health, SUD Package<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, House\nCommittee on Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member\nCathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced the Restoring Hope for Mental Health\nand Well-Being Act of 2022 (text<\/a>; section-by-section<\/a>). The\npackage is an amalgamation of previously introduced, bipartisan legislation \u2014\nas well as other bipartisan policies \u2014 geared towards improving mental and\nbehavioral health treatment, as well as providing substance use disorder (SUD)\ncare, in the U.S. Many of the provisions included in the package would\nreauthorize Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)\nand Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing mental health\nconcerns exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic have spurred bipartisan interest\nin addressing behavioral and mental health needs, as well as high rates of SUD.\nIn addition to mounting concerns, several existing programs would expire at the\nend of FY 2022 without reauthorization. This legislative package addresses the\nimpending implementation of the 9-8-8 hotline and other crisis-related\nsupports, as well as efforts to aide in SUD treatment, prevention, and\nrecovery. Another key aspect of the package focuses on expanding access to\nmental health care by improving workforce initiatives, among other avenues.\nNotably, the bill also includes provisions to address mental health concerns in\nchildren. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health plans to markup and\nvote on the legislation in the coming days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Energy &\nCommerce Committee Unveils User Fee Reauthorization Package<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The House Committee on\nEnergy and Commerce unveiled a long-anticipatedlegislative package<\/a> (TRP summary<\/a>; section-by-section<\/a>) to\nreauthorize the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) user fee agreements (UFA).\nThe Food and Drug Amendments Act of 2022 would update the Prescription Drug\nUser Fee Act (PDUFA VII<\/a>), Generic Drug\nUser Fee Amendments (GDUFA III<\/a>), Biosimilar\nUser Fee Act (BsUFA III<\/a>), and the\nMedical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA V<\/a>) to continue\nauthorization of these user fee programs. The bill outlines a sizable increase\nin estimated fees for fiscal year (FY) 2023 compared to the first year of the\nlast UFA reauthorization in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the\nUFAs, the draft bill includes several provisions aimed at increasing diversity\nin clinical trials. These efforts are focused on requirements and incentives\nfor applicants to focus their trials on diverse patient populations. The bill\nalso contains provisions related to generic drugs in an effort to improve\ntransparency and access to these medications. Research, development, and supply\nchain initiatives are also included in the bill and are intended to improve FDA\ninspections \u2014 especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014 and prioritize\ninnovative treatments and technologies. Lastly, the draft legislation focuses\nmore generally on transparency and program integrity as these themes relate to\nregulatory improvements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Reviews President\u2019s FY 2023 Budget Request for HHS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held ahearing<\/a> (TRP summary<\/a>) featuring Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to discuss President Biden\u2019s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget request<\/a> (TRP analysis<\/a>). In late March, the Biden administration released its FY 2023 request, which includes $127 billion in discretionary funding and $1.7 trillion in mandatory funding for HHS and its agencies \u2014 an overall increase in funding for the Department. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the\nhearing, members inquired about proposals related to expanding access to health\ncare \u2014 particularly through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) \u2014 as well as funding\nfor substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health prevention and treatment\nservices. With regard to such services, Secretary Becerra asserted that HHS is\nplanning to expand access to Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics\n(CCBHC) and highlighted funding provisions within the President\u2019s FY 2023\nrequest aimed at implementing this expansion. Members additionally questioned\nthe Secretary on HHS\u2019 commitment to pandemic preparedness and response, during\nwhich bipartisan concern emerged over the dwindling Strategic National\nStockpile (SNS). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate VA Committee\nDeliberates Ways to Improve Health Care Workforce<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee held a hearing<\/a> (TRP summary<\/a>) to discuss ways to bolster the recruitment and retention of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care workforce. During the hearing, leaders from the VA answered members\u2019 questions on efforts to address workforce shortages, fill vacancies, improve hiring and onboarding processes, and increase mental health resources. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concerns that job vacancies within the VA would decrease the quality and quantity of care provided to veterans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, members and witnesses advocated for increased flexibility of telehealth capabilities to provide care and of technological advancements to streamline the hiring process. However, VA officials underscored the importance of continuing to provide ample care to veterans through in-person services. Additionally, Republican members raised concerns around the potential deployment of VA health care staff to the border after the expiration of Title 42, due to concerns that such an effort would negatively impact veteran care in the U.S.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Capitol Hill Update Both chambers of Congress will resume legislative business this week as leadership looks to break the logjam on a pair of supplemental appropriations requests. While lawmakers have a bipartisan agreement to move as much as $33 billion for Ukrainian military and humanitarian assistance, Democrats and Republicans are still searching for common ground […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHealth Policy Report (5\/9) - thornrun<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thornrun.com\/health-policy-report-201\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Health Policy Report (5\/9) - thornrun\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Capitol Hill Update Both chambers of Congress will resume legislative business this week as leadership looks to break the logjam on a pair of supplemental appropriations requests. 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