LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY UPDATE
Week in Brief
President Donald Trump Releases Budget Blueprint.
Congressional Budget Office Releases Score of American Health Care Act (AHCA).
Seema Verma Confirmed As CMS Administrator.
WHITE HOUSE UPDATE
March 15
White House Posts The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial, “The Health Bill’s Fiscal Bonus.”
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
March 10
Epi-Pen: Nine Senate Democrats Send Letter to Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Acting Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Applauding Agency for Mylan “EpiPen” Investigation.
March 11
Gottlieb & FDA: Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) Release Statements on Dr. Scott Gottlieb’s Selection to Head FDA.
March 13
Statements Following Senate Vote to Confirm Seema Verma as CMS Administrator: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) Issue Statements Following Senate Vote to Confirm Seema Verma as CMS Administrator.
Congressional Statements on Recent CBO Score of AHCA: House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA), House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black (R-TN) and Ranking Member John Yarmuth (D-KY), House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Senate Help Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), House Education & the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), and House Oversight & Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings.
Pandemic Flu Letter: Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Patty Murray (D-WA), and Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Gene Green (D-TX), and Diana DeGette (D-CO) Send Letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price Regarding How Trump Administration Actions Could Harm CDC’s Preparedness If Pandemic Flu Outbreak Were to Occur.
VA Mental Health Letter: Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT) and Six Fellow Democrats Question VA Secretary David Shulkin for VA’s Plans to “Provide Mental Health Care to Veterans with Other-Than-Honorable Discharges.”
March 14
H.J. Res 42: Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) Deliver Statements on Resolution to Overturn DOL Rule Clarifying Drug Testing Practices for Unemployment Insurance (UI) Programs.
AHCA Commentary: House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black (R-TN) Publishes Video Statement on AHCA.
March 15
Medicaid Waivers: House Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) Send Letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price Claiming the Agency Cannot Approve Medicaid Waivers “If They Are Not in Line with the Objectives of the Program.”
MIECHV Hearing: House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Human Resources Holds Hearing on the Reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Ranking Member Danny Davis (D-IL) Deliver Opening Remarks.
VA Hearing: Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee Holds Hearing, “GAO’s High Risk List and the Veterans Health Administration.”
March 16
AHCA: Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) Holds PowerPoint Presentation to “Lay Out the Facts of Trumpcare.”
Appropriations Hearing: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Holds Hearing, “Investing in the Future – Early Childhood Education Programs at the Department of Health and Human Services.”
AHCA: Senate Special Committee on Aging Democrats Release State Facts Sheets Detailing How “The American Health Care Act Will Harm Older Americans in Each State.”
Budget Hearing: House Budget Committee Holds Markup of AHCA. House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black (R-TN) and Ranking Member John Yarmuth (D-KY) Deliver Opening Remarks at Committee Markup of AHCA.
AHCA Advances from Budget Committee: House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black (R-TN) Releases Statement After Committee Passes AHCA to House for Consideration.
Democratic Congressional Hearing Statement on AHCA: House Energy & Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) Makes Statement at Democratic Congressional Hearing Regarding AHCA.
March 17
AHCA: House Energy & Commerce Republicans Publish Blog Post Regarding “The AHCA Patient and State Stability Fund.”
REGULATORY UPDATE
Department of Health and Human Services
March 13
HHS: HHS Partners with Department of the Treasury Foster Health Care Innovation Through “State Flexibility.”
Zika: CDC and FDA Hold Press Conference Providing Update on Potential Increased Risk of Zika Virus in Three Florida Counties.
March 14
Medicaid Waivers: New CMS Administrator Seema Verma Sends Letter to Governors Signaling Openness to Approve Medicaid Waivers.
Seema Verma: HHS Secretary Tom Price, M.D., Congratulates Seema Verma Upon Becoming New CMS Administrator.
AHCA: HHS Secretary Tom Price, M.D., Joins President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence for Health Care Listening Session and Releases Statement.
AHCA CBO Score: HHS Secretary Tom Price, M.D., Releases Statement Regarding CBO Score on the AHCA.
NIH: NIH Announces Series on “Integrative Health Care and U.S. Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families.”
March 15
Chronic Care Managements Services: CMS OMH and HRSA Introduce Connected Care, an Educational Initiative to Raise Awareness of Benefits of Chronic Care Management Services Available to Medicare Beneficiaries that Pays Particular Attention to Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Rural Populations.
March 17
340B Final Rule: HHS Issues Interim Final Rule “340B Drug Pricing Program Ceiling Price and Manufacturer Civil Monetary Penalties Regulation.”
OTHER UPDATES
March 15
GAO Releases Reports:
- Health Information Technology: HHS Should Assess the Effectiveness of Its Efforts to Enhance Patient Access to and Use of Electronic Health Information
- Veterans’ Health Care: Limited Progress Made to Address Concerns That Led to High-Risk Designation
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC):
UPCOMING EVENTS
Congressional Hearings/Markups
HOUSE
Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Hearing
Hearing on Budget for National Institute of Health
• March 21 | 10 a.m.
2358-C Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations Hearing
Fentanyl: The Next Wave of the Opioid Crisis
• March 21 | 10:15am
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
SENATE
HELP Committee Hearing
FDA User Fee Agreements: Improving Medical Product Regulation and Innovation for Patients Part I
• March 21 10:00 a.m.
430 Dirksen Senate Office Building
2nd St NE
Washington, DC 20002
Senate Special Aging Committee Hearing
Raising Grandchildren in the Opioid Crisis
• March 21 (rescheduled from March 15) | 2:30 p.m.
562 Dirksen Senate Office Building
2nd St NE
Washington, DC 20002
OTHER
HRSA Webinar Meeting of National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps
Discussion of provider retention in rural areas, redesign of Area Health Education Centers, and update on Health Professional Shortage Area scoring.
• March 22 | 1 p.m.
Webinar
CMS Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education
Discussion regarding “opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of consumer education strategies concerning the Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP.
• March 22 | 8:30 a.m.
HHS
200 Independence Avenue SW
Room 505A
Washington, DC 20201
For more information about this issue of Power Play: Washington Week in Review or more legislative and regulatory updates, contact the Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville Government Relations and Public Policy group at (202) 466-6550.