Senate HELP Committee Marks Up Public Health Program Reauthorizations. The bills would reauthorize several programs related to older adults, individuals with developmental disabilities and individuals with traumatic brain...more
Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Medical Debt. The hearing examined the negative impacts of medical debt and explored potential solutions to address the growing issue. Senators and witnesses highlighted the disparity...more
House Oversight Subcommittee Hearing with Fauci. The hearing aimed to gather more information on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by Anthony Fauci, MD, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases...more
Congress is in session this week, with the Senate in today and the House returning tomorrow. They will both be out next week for the Memorial Day recess break. As such, this will be a busy week in Congress, though once again...more
Both chambers of Congress are out of session today and return for the rest of the week. Most healthcare priorities remain out of the congressional spotlight this week, but telehealth is still top of mind. As we...more
Health Care was a hot topic in the U.S. Senate on February 8, as two important Senate Committees – the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) – held hearings, respectively, on...more
House Passes Legislation to Prohibit Use of QALYs in All Federal Health Programs. The House passed H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023, a bill designed to prohibit the use of QALYs and similar...more
PARTIAL SNOW DAY, PARTIAL SHUT DOWN? Much of the federal government is closed today because of yesterday’s significant (for DC) and unexpected snowfall. However, part of the federal government is set to shut down this...more
The Senate is back in session today, and the House comes back tomorrow. The beginning of 2024 is looking a lot like the end of 2023, with the big factor being the need to address government funding for fiscal year (FY) 2024....more
House Passes Healthcare Legislation. The House brought two key bipartisan healthcare bills to the floor this week. The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 5378) was approved by a vote of 320–71, and the Support for...more
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CONGRESS (BUT JUST FOR A WEEK) Welcome to what should be the final legislative week of the calendar year. The work that Congress does this week may provide insight into what will get...more
Senate Finance Committee Examines Drug Shortages. The hearing addressed concerns and explored potential solutions related to drug shortages in the United States, particularly focusing on essential medications. The hearing...more
CONGRESS - House Republicans Release Healthcare Package. On September 6, House Republicans unveiled the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, a draft package of healthcare transparency provisions, pharmacy benefit manager...more
The House and Senate were both in session this week, with healthcare activity continuing at the committee level. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings on the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA)...more
Can House Republicans Find Unity? Last week, 11 members from the Republican Freedom Caucus voted against a rule to proceed to several messaging bills on federal regulations and gas stoves. These 11 members voted against...more
On June 3, President Biden signed the debt limit legislation into law, averting default and allowing Congress to return to regularly scheduled business. However, that return was short-lived in the House when a small group of...more
Debt Limit Extended . . . Now What? Late last week, Congress reached a bipartisan, bicameral deal to suspend the debt ceiling into 2025. Over the weekend, President Biden signed the bill into law, preventing the United...more
The House and Senate were both in session this week. The House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee met to discuss policies inhibiting innovation and patient access, and the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee held a...more
Congress was in session, and it was a busy healthcare week at the committee level, with six hearings focused specifically on health issues. On the House floor, Republicans passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act—a bill that raises...more
Lots of Healthcare Activity in Congress - Activity in Congress focusing on healthcare issues has increased over the last few weeks and is not slowing down anytime soon. This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and...more
On February 16, 2023, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing concerning the current health care workforce shortage. On March 2, 2023, Chairman Sanders and Ranking Member Cassidy of...more
This week, House Democrats will unveil a sweeping health care bill aimed at lowering premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and to target actions taken by the Administration to undermine the individual market. This comes on the...more
The partial government shutdown is on its 31st day and there’s been little to no change in the landscape. Over the weekend, the President offered a proposal that was rejected by Democrats, leaving us about where we were last...more
On Friday, the news came out that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) would move back to chair the Finance Committee, leaving the top post at the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley led the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) Republicans...more
This week is already well under way with drama unfolding on both sides of Capitol Hill. First, the allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh upended his chances for a swift confirmation as several Republican &...more