This Week in Washington: HHS Secretary appears before Senate Finance and Senate Appropriations Committees



Congress

House

House Energy and Commerce Committee Marks-up Health Legislation

On March 23, the House Energy and Commerce Committee met to markup 19 bills, including 5 healthcare-related bills. They were:

  • R. 501, Block, Report, and Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act

This bill would require drug manufacturers, distributors, and other Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) registrants, to report and decline suspicious orders of all controlled substances. It would also require the DEA to specify what indicators give rise to suspicious orders, and how these orders could be diverted if filled.

  • R. 498, 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act

This bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to maintain internal coordination to protect the 9-8-8 lifeline from cybersecurity threats. It would also require the 9-8-8 network administrator to immediately report potential cybersecurity threats to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), and would require the Comptroller General to conduct a study on 9-8-8 lifeline cybersecurity flaws and risks.

  • R. 485, Protecting Health Care for All Patient Act of 2023

This bill would prohibit all federal health care programs and federally-funded state health care programs from considering quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) or other similar measures that discount the value of life based on disability, when calculating thresholds for health care coverage, reimbursements, and incentive programs.

  • R. 467, Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act

This bill would place fentanyl-related substances (FTS) on the Controlled Substances Act Schedule I list permanently. It would also make the registration process to research Schedule I substances simpler.

  • R. 801, Securing the Border for Public Health Act of 2023

This bill would amend the Public Health Services Act and expand Title 42 authority. It would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), following a consultation with the U.S. Attorney General, to prohibit the entry of persons and imports related to certain controlled substances from certain countries, into the United States.

For more information, click here.

Health Care Affordability Act Reintroduced

On March 22, Rep. Underwood (D-IL) reintroduced the Health Care Affordability Act. The bill would lower the cost of health care premiums by expanding the availability of health care premium tax credits. Provisions of the bill expanding health care premium tax credits were included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) but are set to expire in 2025. This legislation would make the expansions permanent.

For more information, click here.

House Energy and Commerce Committee and Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairmen Request Info on CMS Ransomware Attack

On March 20, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, requesting information on the ransomware attack that CMS subcontractor Healthcare Management Solutions, LLC. suffered on Oct. 8, 2022. CMS determined that the ransomware attack likely resulted in the breaching of sensitive Medicare beneficiary data. Both committees are requesting that CMS submit any documents and communications related to the attack, to facilitate their respective investigations of the incident.

For more information, click here.

Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act of 2023 Introduced

On March 17, Reps. Carter (R-GA), Gonzalez (D-TX), Stefanik (R-NY), Ross (D-NC), Allen (R-GA), and Auchincloss (D-MA) introduced the Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act of 2023. The bipartisan legislation would improve transparency of prescription drug prices and would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from using spread pricing in Medicaid programs. The bill would also establish an oversight and accountability program, which would monitor PBMs for predatory prescription drug pricing tactics.

For more information, click here.

Senate

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Holds Hearing on Drug Shortage Risks

On March 22, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing to discuss the health and national security risks of drug shortages. Witnesses included:

  • Andrew Shuman, M.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Chief of the Clinical Ethics Service Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School
  • Vimala Raghavendran, Vice President of Informatics Product Development at U.S. Pharmacopeia
  • Erin Fox, Pharm.D., Associate Chief Pharmacy Officer of Shared Services and Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy
  • John C. Goodman, Ph.D., President of the Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research

For more information, click here.

Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on President’s FY 2024 Health and Human Services Budget

On March 22, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Witnesses included:

  • The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

For more information, click here.

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Price Quadrupling

On March 22, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on the quadrupling of the Moderna COVID-19 price. Witnesses included:

  • Stéphane Bancel, MBA, MEng, MSc, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Moderna, Inc.
  • Christopher J. Morten, Ph.D., J.D, Associate Clinical Professor of Law at Columbia Law School
  • Ameet Sarpatwari, Ph.D., J.D, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
  • Craig Garthwaite, Ph.D., MPP, Herman Smith Research Professor in Hospital and Health Services Management at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management

For more information, click here.

Senate Appropriations Committee Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee Holds Hearing on President’s FY 2024 Health and Human Services Budget

On March 22, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Witnesses included:

  • The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

For more information, click here.

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