Washington Healthcare Update

This Week in Washington: Senate Appropriations Committee reports FY 2025 Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill out of committee.

Status of Key Health Issues in Congress

Telehealth Extension
PBM Reform
Insulin $35 Cap
Drug Patent Reform
BIOSECURE Act
Medicaid
Transparency
Site-Neutral Payments
Restore Medicare Physician-Fee Schedule Cuts
340B

Regulations Released This Week

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Finalizes Several Medicare Payment Rules

Note

Newsletter Update

House is in its August recess.

Senate is in its August recess.

As Congress left for the August recess, the House and Senate left unfinished many issues that both Democrats and Republicans had said they wanted to accomplish in this Congress. With the failure to be farther along in the appropriations process, attention will need to focus on developing and passing a Continuing Resolution to fund the government, when Congress returns after Labor Day. The chart below provides the status of the key health care issues and legislation that Congress has developed.

Status of Key Health Issues In Congress

Policy Issue

House of Representatives

Senate

Telehealth Extension

House Energy and Commerce Committee:

H.R. 7858, Telehealth Enhancement for Mental Health Act of 2024

– Reported out on 05/16/24

House Ways and Means Committee:

H.R. 8261, Preserving Telehealth, Hospital and Ambulance Access Act

– Reported out on 05/08/24

H.R. 1843, Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023

– Reported out on 06/13/23

Senate HELP Committee:

S. 644, Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act

– Reported out on 02/01/24

PBM Reform

House Energy and Commerce Committee:

H.R. 2880, Protecting Patients Against PBM Abuses Act

– Reported out on 12/06/23

H.R. 3561, PATIENT Act of 2023

– Reported out on 05/24/23

H.R. 5393, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure fair assessment of pharmacy
performance and quality under Medicare Part D and for other purposes

– Reported out on 12/06/23

H.R. 5385, Medicare PBM Accountability Act

– Reported out on 12/06/23

H.R. 5378, Lower Costs, More Transparency Act

– Passed the House on suspension calendar on 12/11/23

Senate Finance Committee:

S. 2973, Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act

– Reported out on 12/07/23

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee:

S. 127, Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act of 2023

– Reported out on 12/13/23

Senate HELP Committee:

S. 1339, Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act

– Reported out on 05/11/23

Senate Judiciary Committee:

S. 113, Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2023

– Reported out on 03/01/23

Insulin $35 Cap

Senate HELP Committee:

S. 146, Cap Insulin Prices Act

– Referred to committee on
01/30/23

S. 727, Insulin for All
Act of 2023

– Referred to committee on 03/09/23

S. 1269, Improving
Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now Act of 2023

– Referred to committee on
04/25/23

S. 954, Affordable Insulin Now Act of 2023

– Referred to committee on
03/23/23

Drug Patent Reform

Senate Judiciary Committee:

S. 79, Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act of 2023

– Reported out on 03/01/23

S. 142, Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act

– Reported out on 02/09/23

S. 148, Stop STALLING Act

– Reported out on 02/09/23

S. 150, Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2023

– Reported out on 02/09/23

– Passed the Senate on 07/11/24

BIOSECURE Act

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability:

H.R. 7085, BIOSECURE Act

– Referred to committee on 01/25/24

H.R. 8333, BIOSECURE Act

– Reported out on 05/15/24

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee:

S. 3558, Prohibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information Act of 2024

– Reported out on 03/06/2024

Medicaid

House Energy and Commerce Committee:

H.R. 8112, To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to further require certain additional
provider screening under the Medicaid program

– Reported out on 06/12/24

H.R. 8111, Medicaid Program Improvement Act

– Reported out on 06/12/24

H.R. 8089, Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act of 2024

– Reported out on 06/12/24

H.R. 4758, Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act

– Reported out on 06/12/24

H.R. 3836, Medicaid Primary Care Improvement Act

– Reported out on 09/01/23

– Passed the House on 03/05/24

H.R. 2666, Medicaid VBPs for Patients Act

– Reported out on 05/24/23

H.R. 485, Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023

– Reported out on 03/24/23

– Passed the House on 02/07/24

H.R. 4531, Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act

– Reported out on 07/19/23

– Passed the House on
12/12/23

House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health:

H.R. 7573, Stop Unfair Medicaid Recoveries Act

– No action yet

Senate Finance Committee:

S. 3430, Better Mental Health, Lower-Cost Drugs and Extenders Act of 2023

– Reported out on 12/07/23

Transparency

House Ways and Means Committee:

H.R. 4822, Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023

– Reported out on 09/29/23

H.R. 8816, American Medical Innovation and Investment Act of 2024

– Reported out on 06/27/24

House Energy and Commerce Committee:

H.R. 3290, To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to ensure transparency and
oversight of the 340B drug discount program

– Reported out on 05/24/23

H.R. 5378, Lower Costs, More Transparency Act

– Passed the House on suspension calendar on 12/11/23

H.R. 3561, PATIENT Act of 2023

– Reported out on 05/24/23

H.R. 5393, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure fair
assessment of pharmacy performance and quality under Medicare part D, and for
other purposes

– Reported out on 12/06/23

Senate HELP Committee:

S. 2840, Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act

– Reported out on 11/08/23

Site-Neutral Payments

House Energy and Commerce Committee:

H.R. 3561, PATIENT Act of 2023

– Reported out on 05/24/23

H.R. 5378, Lower Costs, More Transparency Act

– Passed the House on suspension calendar on 12/11/23

House Ways and Means Committee:

H.R. 4822, Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023

– Reported out on 09/29/23

Restore Medicare Physician-Fee Schedule Cuts

Senate Finance Committee:

04/11/24: Committee held hearing concerning Medicare PFS Cuts

05/17/24: Committee released a white paper on physician payment reform

340B

House Energy and Commerce Committee:

H.R. 3290, To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to ensure transparency and oversight of the 340B drug discount program.

– Reported out on 05/24/23

H.R. 8574, 340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-net Act

– Referred to committee on 05/28/24

House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health:

H.R. 7635, The 340B PATIENTS Act of 2024

– Referred to subcommittee on 03/15/24

Senate HELP Committee:

S. 1133, 340B Accountability Act of 2023

– Referred to committee on 03/30/23

S. 1182, 340B Reporting and Accountability Act

– Referred to committee on 04/18/23

Regulations Released This Week

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized several Medicare payment rules:

FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
FY 2025 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System; Rate Update
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2025 and Updates to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Program
Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2025
Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2025 Rates, etc.

For information on other pending regulations, please refer to the previous Washington Healthcare Update here.