This Week in Washington: CBO 2023 Budget Report is released



Congress

House

House Not in Session

CBO Releases Presentation of its 2023 Budget and Economic Outlook Report

On Feb. 16, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a presentation showcasing the results it published in its 2023 Budget and Economic Outlook report. The report highlights CBO’s projections of the federal deficit over the next 10 years. It also showcases the amount of federal debt held by the public, and projected outlay, revenue, interest, inflation, unemployment and real GDP rates.

For more information, click here.

House Members Urge More Oversight into Hospice Care Fraud and Abuse

On Feb. 14, Reps. Blumenauer (D-OR), Van Duyne (R-TX), Panetta (D-CA) and Wenstrup (R-OH) sent a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, expressing their concerns over hospice care fraud and abuse. The representatives are asking CMS to identify additional oversight measures that Congress could take, to combat hospice care fraud and abuse.

For more information, click here.

Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act Introduced

On Feb. 10, Reps. Wenstrup (R-OH) and Larson (D-CT) introduced the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act. Sens. Cassidy (R-LA) and Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced a companion bill in the Senate. The legislation seeks to make outpatient surgical care more affordable for Medicare beneficiaries. The bill would:

  • Make permanent the alignment of Medicare reimbursement update factors for the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) and Hospital Outpatient Department (HOPD) payment systems under Medicare to ensure the disparity between HOPD and ASC payments is reduced
  • Eliminate copay penalties for Medicare beneficiaries
  • Reduce other barriers Medicare beneficiaries may encounter when searching for affordable, quality care

For more information, click here.

Senate

Senate HELP Committee Announces Hearing on Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

On Feb. 15, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced that the Senate HELP committee will hold a hearing on March 22, where it will question Moderna’s CEO Stéphane Bancel over the company’s plan of quadrupling the price of its COVID-19 vaccine. On Feb. 16, Moderna announced that it will keep its vaccine available to everyone at no cost. Insured individuals will have access to the vaccine through their doctors’ offices and pharmacies, and the Moderna Patient Assistance Program will help underinsured and uninsured individuals receive the vaccine at no cost.

Announced hearing panelists include:

  • Stéphane Bancel, CEO 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., M.P.P., Herman R. Smith Research Professor in Hospital and Health Services Management at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management

Twenty Senators Send Letter Concerning Alzheimer’s Treatment Access

On Feb. 17, Sens. Collins (R-ME) and Capito (R-WV) led a bipartisan group of 20 senators in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. The letter asks CMS to reconsider the Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) requirements for Alzheimer’s monoclonal antibody treatments recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The other senators who signed the letter include Sens. Barrasso (R-WY), Lankford (R-OK), Moran (R-KS), Cramer (R-ND), Budd (R-NC), Mullin (R-OK), Rubio (R-FL), Lummis (R-WY), Murkowski (R-AK), Peters (D-MI), Wicker (R-MS), Fischer (R-NE), Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tillis (R-NC), Klobuchar (D-MN), Hoeven (R-ND), Rounds (R-SD) and Boozman (R-AR).

For more information, click here.

Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act Introduced

On Feb. 17, Sens. Smith (D-MN), Murkowski (R-AK) and Hassan (D-NH) reintroduced the Mental Health Professional Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2023. The bill would establish a loan repayment program that would provide loan repayment services to full-time employees who worked a minimum of 6 years as a behavioral or mental health professional, or a substance use disorder treatment professional.

Sen. Grassley Urges Oversight of Nursing Home Psychotropic Medicines

On Feb. 16, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, asking for improvements to be made to CMS’ oversight and enforcement of psychotropic drug deficiencies in nursing home facilities. Sen. Grassley stressed his concern over reports of nursing homes misdiagnosing seniors with schizophrenia and prescribing them antipsychotic drugs, which can pose significant risks.

For more information, click here.

Promoting Public Health Information Act Introduced

On Feb. 15, Sens. Murphy (D-CT) and Ray Luján (D-NM) reintroduced the Promoting Public Health Information Act. The legislation aims to assist the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with addressing health disinformation during public health emergencies. Reps. DeGette (D-CO) and Castor (D-FL) introduced a companion bill in the House.

The Promoting Public Health Information Act would grant the HHS Secretary authority to:

  • Establish a Public Health Information and Communications Advisory Committee within HHS composed of federal officials with backgrounds in public health, medicine, communications and national security. The committee would be tasked with issuing recommendations on how to communicate scientific and medical information during a public health emergency, and how to curb the spread of disinformation.
  • Issue awards to encourage evidence- and fact-based initiatives that educate people on public health and medical science.
  • Spend $45 million for educational initiatives and committee tasks.

For more information, click here.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Urges CMS to Finalize Medicare Advantage Consumer Protections

On Feb. 14, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, asking CMS to finalize a proposed rule that would implement new restrictions on private insurance agent and broker deceptive consumer marketing practices. Sen. Wyden led an investigation into deceptive marketing practices last year, which revealed that private agents and brokers were using misleading language, cold calls and the Medicare name and logo in marketing, to mislead seniors into signing up for fraudulent Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.

For more information, click here.

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