Republicans Consider Obamacare Repeal Through Reconciliation Some GOP lawmakers continue to advocate for an Affordable Care Act repeal via the budget reconciliation process. Others, however, have been questioning whether this budget tactic would be better used for different policy objectives, such as tax reform. The budget resolution provided a July 24 deadline for the committees … Continue Reading
House to Consider 21st Century Cures Act Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that the House of Representatives will consider H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, this week. The House Committee on Rules will meet to consider the rules for the debate on Wednesday, July 8. Amendments to the legislation are to be … Continue Reading
House to Continue Consideration of IPAB Repeal Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that the House of Representatives will complete consideration of H.R. 1190, the Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act of 2015, this week. This bill repeals the sections of the ACA that establish the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), an entity to … Continue Reading
House to Vote on Medical Device Excise Tax and IPAB Repeals In the House of Representatives, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that several health care bills will be considered on the floor this week. Two of these bills dismantle portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). H.R. 160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act … Continue Reading
This Week’s Hearings: Wednesday, June 10: The House Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing titled “Obamacare Implementation and the Department of Health and Human Services FY 2016 Budget Request.” Wednesday, June 10: The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled “Prescription Mismanagement and the … Continue Reading
Lawmakers Anticipate King v. Burwell Decision With the Supreme Court expected to issue its opinion in the statutory interpretation case of King v. Burwell this month, lawmakers are considering legislative options to address any potential changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The issue in the case of King v. Burwell is whether the ACA … Continue Reading
Committee on Energy and Commerce to Mark Up 21st Century Cures Act On Tuesday, May 19, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce will begin its markup of the 21st Century Cures Act, to be continued on Wednesday, May 20. The legislation is the product of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Initiative that was spearheaded … Continue Reading
Congressional Committees Consider Veterans’ Health, Chronic Conditions Several hearings this week will focus on veterans’ health topics. Both the House and the Senate will discuss the implementation of the Veterans Choice Program early in the week, with the Senate holding a hearing on Tuesday, May 12, and the House following on Wednesday, May 13. On … Continue Reading
House and Senate Consider Medical Modernization Capitol Hill focuses on the future of health care this week. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) will conduct a discussion on medical advancement and improvement on Tuesday with a hearing titled “Continuing America’s Leadership: The Future of Medical Innovation for Patients.” Dr. Christopher P. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Last Thursday, President Obama signed H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, into law. Also known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) package or the “permanent doc fix,” the bill permanently repealed Medicare’s often-criticized physician payment system. The House and Senate each drew support from both sides of the aisle to … Continue Reading
With both chambers returning from recess this week, attention is focused on Senate consideration of the House-passed bill to permanently repeal Medicare’s physician payment system. While the last “doc fix” expired March 31, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated it would hold claims for two weeks to allow Congress to return from … Continue Reading
Lawmakers Continue Negotiations on Doc Fix Package, Working Framework Announced With the current patch expiring on March 31, lawmakers continued over the weekend to negotiate a legislative package to permanently repeal Medicare’s automatic payment cut to physicians. H.R. 1470 is very similar to the bipartisan legislation that key committees in both chambers approved last year. … Continue Reading
Congressmen Negotiate SGR Package Lawmakers on the House side of the Capitol continue to negotiate a package that would prevent an anticipated cut to Medicare physician payments and include a permanent repeal of payment system. Bipartisan leaders on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released joint … Continue Reading
All Eyes On The Supreme Court On Wednesday, March 4, the attention of many lawmakers will turn to the Supreme Court, where oral arguments are slated for the statutory interpretation case of King v. Burwell. The issue in this case is whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides tax subsidies to individuals who purchase insurance … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity With the end of the year in sight, Congress remains busy in the health policy arena. Partisan talking points are expected to fly on Tuesday, when Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) will chair one of his final hearings in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform focused on the Affordable Care Act. Economist … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity With the midterm elections now over, the attention of the health policy community has shifted to the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period, which began on November 15. Due to last year’s bungled rollout, as well as recently disclosed statements made by economist and White House consultant Jonathan Gruber, a renewed focus on … Continue Reading
This Week’s Hearings: Wednesday, November 12: The Senate Committee on Appropriations will hold a hearing titled “The U.S. Government Response to the Ebola Outbreak.” Thursday, November 13: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing titled “Combating Ebola in West Africa: The International Response.” The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will hold a … Continue Reading
