{"id":2112,"date":"2022-05-23T20:14:38","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T20:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thornrun.com\/health-policy-report-5-23\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T21:25:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:25:44","slug":"health-policy-report-5-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thornrun.com\/health-policy-report-5-23\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Policy Report (5\/23)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

The Senate will reconvene for legislative business on Tuesday to close out the May work period. Absent a breakthrough deal on COVID-related funding packages for health care and small businesses, it is likely that senators will primarily focus on confirming pending Biden administration nominees for the balance of the week. The Small Business COVID Relief Act (S. 4008<\/a>) \u2014 which would provide roughly $48 billion toward additional relief aid for restaurants and other small business industries that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014 failed to meet the 60-vote threshold to advance in the evenly-divided chamber late last week. While the supplemental funding package for Ukraine was able to clear with strong bipartisan support, funding measures to support health-related pandemic needs and small businesses have struggled to gain traction in the 50-50 Senate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile,\nnegotiations on a new COVID-19 funding bill for health care needs are expected\nto continue this week as House Democratic leadership pushes for a vote as soon\nas possible. Reports out of Capitol Hill suggest that House Democrats are\npoised to introduce a new COVID-19 funding package for health care needs as the\nSenate’s Bipartisan COVID Supplemental Appropriations Act remains on ice. While\nit is not yet clear what the structure of the new legislation will look like,\nboth parties will need to navigate wide divisions over funding offsets before\nadditional funding for testing, therapeutics, vaccines, and more can be passed\nin both chambers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to\npotential votes on a COVID-19 supplemental funding bill, House lawmakers are\nscheduled to consider: (1) a bill<\/a> that would\nreauthorize programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA);\n(2) legislation<\/a> that\nseeks to give the President additional authority to prevent energy pricing\nhikes during an “energy emergency;” and (3) an act<\/a> that would\nprovide an increased allocation of funding under certain programs for areas of persistent\npoverty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy and Commerce\nMarks Up User Fee, Mental Health Packages <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, the\nHouse Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a markup<\/a> (TRP analysis<\/a>) of six\nbills, including a bill to reauthorize user fees and a bipartisan package to\nreauthorize several programs administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental\nHealth Services Administration (SAMHSA). All six pieces of legislation passed\nout of the Subcommittee and are expected to be considered by the full Committee\nnext week. Notably, the Keeping Incarceration Discharges Streamlined for\nChildren and Accommodating Resources in Education (KIDS CARE) Act and the South\nAsian Heart Health Awareness Act of 2021 were approved with additional changes\nto the underlying bill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some lawmakers\ncalled for the inclusion of some amendments \u2014 such as those that would require\nremanufacturing guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), oversight\nof medical device shortages, patient-focused drug development, and lifting the\ninmate limitation on benefits under the Medicaid program, among other\nprovisions \u2014 Full Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) explained that he plans\nto avoid altering the bill in any way that could risk losing bipartisan\nagreement. Some lawmakers offered amendments to raise awareness for certain\nissues, though they ultimately withdrew the revisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HHS Urges States to\nPrepare for End of PHE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, the\nDepartment of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a letter<\/a> to state\ngovernors urging them to prepare for the end of the COVID-19 public health\nemergency (PHE). The timing of the letter falls just before HHS would need to\nprovide states with 60-days\u2019 notice ahead of a decision to terminate the PHE,\nas the agency promised earlier this year. Experts remain on the fence in\nhandicapping a PHE extension with 60-days\u2019 notice, with a plethora of\npredictions making it difficult to discern a consensus. Despite the\nuncertainty, many insiders \u2014 including Medicaid and Children\u2019s Health Insurance\nProgram (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) Commissioner Tricia\nBrooks \u2014 are confident that the PHE will be extended. HHS\u2019s letter to governors\ncomes as several stakeholders are urging<\/a> the Biden\nadministration to extend the PHE until October.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, an end to the\nPHE would require states to commence a Medicaid redetermination process.\nCongress passed a maintenance-of-effort requirement in the first year of the\npandemic as a means to prevent beneficiaries from losing coverage during\nCOVID-19. However, advocacy groups are concerned that over 16 million Medicaid\nand CHIP beneficiaries could lose coverage once HHS terminates the PHE. State\nMedicaid agencies will have 14 months to complete the determination process,\nthough HHS\u2019s letter notes that states can maintain certain PHE flexibilities to\nease the potential coverage losses. Specifically, HHS outlined that suspending\npremiums, limiting cost-sharing, increasing provider payments, and altering\nprovider enrollment requirements can mitigate the impact of redetermination on\nbeneficiaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Labor, HHS\nCommittee Evaluates Programs Related to Aging Adults <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, the\nHouse Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,\nEducation, and Related Agencies held a hearing<\/a> (TRP analysis<\/a>) entitled,\n\u201cHealthy Aging: Maximizing the Independence, Wellbeing, and Health of Older\nAdults.\u201d Throughout the hearing, members asked questions related to the\nprevention of falls, nutrition, mental health, and elder justice for aging\nadults to improve the quality of life as they age and require greater\nassistance. After witnesses provided statistical evidence and examples of the\nvaried needs of older adults, bipartisan support arose for stronger investments\nin cost-effective federal senior-specific programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally,\nwitnesses raised concerns about the expiration of COVID-19 relief funds,\naffordability of prescription medications, and shortages in the health care\nworkforce. Notably, witnesses assured members that there is enough data for\nCongress to be able to evaluate current federal mechanisms for seniors to see\nhow such mechanisms may need to be extended, expanded, and implemented in\ndifferent areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FDA Rolls Out Program\nto Develop Rare Disease Therapies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, the Food\nand Drug Administration (FDA) launched the Accelerating Rare disease Cures\n(ARC) Program<\/a> (press release<\/a>) to\nexpedite the development of rare disease treatments. FDA\u2019s Center for Drug\nEvaluation and Research (CDER) launched this program as lawmakers in Congress\nhave increasingly requested policies to improve upon rare disease drug\ndevelopment. FDA notes that many of these challenges include difficulty in\ndesigning clinical trials and in selecting clinical endpoints. The first year\nof the ARC Program will be centered around strengthening the agency\u2019s\npartnerships, ranging from those within FDA to the private sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Appropriations\nCommittee Considers President\u2019s FY 2023 Budget Request for NIH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing<\/a> (TRP analysis<\/a>) to consider President Joe Biden\u2019s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget request<\/a> (TRP analysis<\/a>) for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In late March, the Biden administration released its FY 2023 request, which includes a $49 billion funding request for the NIH. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the hearing, members heard from a panel of witnesses who oversee Centers and Institutes within the NIH on their intent to research maternal and child health, cancer, COVID-19, and opioid use, as well as how the agency plans to incorporate diversity and inclusion into such efforts. Also of interest to lawmakers were details on the proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), President Biden\u2019s \u201cCancer Moonshot\u201d initiative, and mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) research. Notably, during the hearing, Acting Director Lawrence Tabak confirmed that march-in rights are currently under consideration by the NIH in the context of a broader plan that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has for lowering drug prices. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Capitol Hill Update The Senate will reconvene for legislative business on Tuesday to close out the May work period. Absent a breakthrough deal on COVID-related funding packages for health care and small businesses, it is likely that senators will primarily focus on confirming pending Biden administration nominees for the balance of the week. The Small […]<\/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\/23) - 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-5-23\/\" \/>\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\/23) - thornrun\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Capitol Hill Update The Senate will reconvene for legislative business on Tuesday to close out the May work period. 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