HOUSE OKs DOZENS OF OPIOID-RELATED BILLS; MORE VOTES SCHEDULED -
The House last week approved 38 bills that lawmakers hope will stem the opioid epidemic, and it scheduled votes this week on at least a dozen more....more
6/19/2018
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
GAO ,
Generic Drugs ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
HRSA ,
Medicaid ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B
HOUSE TO VOTE ON DOZENS OF OPIOID BILLS WHILE SENATE READIES COMPREHENSIVE MEASURE - The House this week will begin considering some of the 70 different opioid bills that have been approved by eight different committees,...more
6/12/2018
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
HRSA ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B ,
Trump Administration
LAWMAKERS PRAISE, CRITICIZE TRUMP PLAN ON DRUG PRICES -
On Capitol Hill, reaction to President Donald Trump’s “American Patients First” plan to bring down prescription drug prices fell predictably along partisan lines:...more
5/15/2018
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B ,
Trump Administration
After a tumultuous year on Capitol Hill – with repeated efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and stalled attempts to renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program – President Donald Trump isn’t likely to focus on...more
With the government shutdown entering its third day, the Senate scheduled a procedural vote at noon today that could pave the way to end the stalemate – but it’s not clear there’s enough support to break the logjam and reopen...more
1/23/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Government Shutdown ,
HRSA ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
National Institute of Health (NIH)
House Republicans will gather tonight for a GOP-only meeting to plot strategy on passing a stopgap budget bill, but a breakdown among key senators on separate immigration legislation has elevated the risk of a government...more
With less than two weeks before another deadline to avert a government shutdown, Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say they’re cautiously optimistic about crafting a budget agreement that also would include several key...more
Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week ahead of more self-imposed deadlines to resolve a series of thorny healthcare policies, including funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the rest of the...more
1/3/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Section 340B
SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: CHIP, OTHER HEALTH PROVISIONS AT RISK AS DEADLINE NEARS -
Renewal of the Children’s Health Insurance Program and a host of other healthcare provisions hang in the balance as congressional Republicans...more
Lawmakers last week approved a stopgap budget bill to keep the government open until Dec. 22, creating a pre-Christmas showdown over a host of spending decisions and key healthcare priorities.
Republican leaders on Capitol...more
Congressional Republicans face a Friday deadline to approve a stopgap budget bill to avert a government shutdown, delaying until later this month key decisions on healthcare priorities like renewing children’s insurance and...more
12/5/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Government Shutdown ,
Individual Mandate ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Repeal
Lawmakers returning to Capitol Hill this week after the Thanksgiving recess face a daunting series of tax and budget deadlines that will set the stage for how Congress addresses year-end healthcare priorities.
That...more
11/28/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
HELP ,
Individual Mandate ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Opioid ,
Section 340B
The House last week voted to renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through 2022, but disagreements over how to pay for the program are likely to delay consideration in the Senate beyond this month.
On a...more
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said lawmakers will vote this week on legislation to renew federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), even amid unresolved partisan disagreements over...more
President Trump’s announcement Friday that he would stop cost-sharing payments to insurance companies triggered a firestorm on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers in both parties calling on Congress to restore the funding...more
Although the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enjoys broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, lawmakers last week sharply disagreed over how to pay for its renewal – signaling that a final vote could be delayed for...more
With congressional Republicans’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on hold at least for now, the bipartisan leaders of the Senate HELP Committee are seeking to rekindle their work to shore up the health law’s...more
Republican senators pushing a last-ditch effort to overhaul the Affordable Care Act (ACA) say they are within one vote of having the support needed to pass their bill.
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)...more
The chairman of a Senate healthcare committee outlined a key test for stabilizing the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) shaky individual marketplace: Both Republicans and Democrats will have to give a little.
That formula has...more
Some Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), are pushing new plans to overhaul the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but other policy priorities and tight legislative deadlines this month are likely to thwart...more
Senate Republicans face a key procedural vote this week that would allow for debate of their healthcare legislation, but significant uncertainty remains about whether GOP senators can meet that procedural hurdle, what the...more
7/25/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Generic Drugs ,
IPAB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
REMS ,
Repeal ,
Trump Administration ,
User Fees
With only 10 legislative days before Senate Republicans’ self-imposed deadline, GOP lawmakers face growing obstacles in their quest to vote on replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) before the beginning of their scheduled...more
Senate Republicans continue intra-party discussions on changes to House-passed legislation replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the lack of consensus is threatening GOP leaders’ pledge to have a bill ready for a vote...more
Legislation reauthorizing FDA user fees for prescription and generic drugs, biosimilars, and medical devices won wide bipartisan approval last week in a Senate committee, teeing up approval by the full Senate, likely after...more
House approval last week of legislation repealing and replacing most of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) sets up a showdown in the Senate, where GOP leaders will confront a familiar web of political, policy and procedural...more