This Week in Washington: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade and Rules in Becerra v. Empire Health Foundation


Congress

House

House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health to Consider 11 Healthcare Bills

On June 29, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on Health will consider 11 healthcare bills. The bills can be found below.

  • H.R. 2007, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2021
  • H.R. 3773, the Pediatricians Accelerate Childhood Therapies (PACT) Act of 2021
  • H.R. 5141, the Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act
  • H.R. 5442, the Fix Nondisclosure of Influence in Health Research Act
  • H.R. 5478, the Protecting the Integrity of our Biomedical Research Act of 2021
  • H.R. 6305, the Protect America’s Biomedical Research Enterprise Act of 2021
  • H.R. 7565, the NIH Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Act of 2022
  • H.R. 7845, the NIH Clinical Trial Diversity Act of 2022
  • H.R. 8151, the Building a Sustainable Workforce for Healthy Communities Act
  • H.R. 8163, the Improving Trauma Systems and Emergency Care Act
  • H.R. 8169, the Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act

House Appropriations Committee Advances FY 2023 Spending Bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies

On June 23, the House Committee on Appropriations voted 31-26 to advance the Fiscal Year 2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The bill provides $27.2 billion total, with $3.66 billion designated for the FDA. The bill’s report can be found here.

House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Approves FY 2023 Spending Bill

On June 23, the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies approved its fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding bill by a voice vote. The bill allocates $242.1 billion to strengthen public health infrastructure, increase funding for the National Institutes of Health and fund the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) research agency. The bill now goes to the full Appropriations committee for a markup.

House Passes Legislative Package to Address Mental Health and Substance Abuse

On June 22, the House voted to pass the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act with a vote of 402-20. The legislative package would reauthorize a number of federal health programs, direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to update its Medicaid in Schools program guidance and allow states to provide Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage to incarcerated youth. The bill would also create a Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to increase access to crisis care.

House Passes the Amended ARPA-H Act

On June 22, the House voted 336-85 to pass the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Act. The bill authorizes the creation of ARPA-H, the new biomedical research agency, and allocates $500 million to fund it from 2023 to 2027. The bill was recently amended to remove a requirement that the ARPA-H director require Senate confirmation and to prohibit the director from awarding grants or contracts to foreign research entities.

Senate

Sens. Baldwin, Gillibrand and Warren Lead Letter Calling on FDA to Update Discriminatory Blood Donation Policies

On June 24, Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) led 23 members in a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf requesting an update on the FDA’s efforts to change their discriminatory blood donor deferral policies. In the letter, the senators state that the current three-month donor deferral blood donation policy for men who have sex with men stigmatizes and harms the LGBTQ community and decreases the eligible donor base.

Senate Passes Gun Control Bill with Mental Health Provisions

On June 23, the Senate voted 65-33 to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a bipartisan gun control bill. The bill, which provides new protections for victims of domestic violence, improves screenings for individuals under 21 buying a gun and incentivizes states to implement “red flag laws,” also includes resources to address mental health. The healthcare measures in the bill include additional funding for telehealth programs to expand mental health services and support for community-based mental health programs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimate of the bill can be found here.

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Advances the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act

On June 22, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted to advance the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Transparency Act to the full Senate. The bill would ban unfair and deceptive pricing schemes and require PBMs to report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) money gained from spread pricing and pharmacy fees.

Sens. Shaheen and Collins Introduce Bill to Cap Insulin Costs

On June 22, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act. The bill would cap insulin costs at $35 a month.

Read more on healthcare policy in McGuireWoods Consulting’s Washington Healthcare Update.